TechRadar - Internet newsTechRadar UK latest feedshttp://www.techradar.com/rss/news/internet
(c)2017 Future Publishing LtdFuture Syndication Engine 1.159Thu, 14 Dec 2017 02:29:03 +0000http://assets.futurecdn.net/img/future-tag.pngTechRadar - Internet newshttp://www.techradar.com/rss/news/internet
The best Sky broadband deals in December 2017http://www.techradar.com/news/sky-broadband-deals
http://www.techradar.com/news/sky-broadband-dealsWe'll tell you the cheapest deals around for Sky broadband - plus internet, TV and phone packages.Wed, 13 Dec 2017 06:30:49 +0000techradar.comSky used to be known best for its TV service, but now its just as synonymous with home broadband internet. Sky broadband is one of the most popular providers in the UK. So whether you want broadband only, or a package of Sky TV and broadband, we'll help you find your way to the best broadband deal.

Our postcode checker above will tell you whether the faster Sky Fibre is available in your area. The good news is that Sky has some great prices. And keep scrolling down the page to discover more information about Sky broadband.

Sky broadband plans compared - what broadband speed can I get with Sky?

Even before you start thinking about whether you want to add Sky TV or mobile to your internet package, you'll need to decide what speed and data usage best suits your household. Consider whether you want to crank up the speed - and price - with a fibre broadband package.

Sky Broadband Unlimited

If you simply want basic broadband for checking your emails and using the web, then Sky's entry-level Broadband Unlimited deal is one of the cheapest on the market. With download speeds of up to 17Mb (that's around 2.1MB per second) it may struggle a little with streaming, especially if there are lots of devices trying to use it at once. Sky Broadband Unlimited includes:

Up to 17Mb speed

Sky Hub router

Unlimited data usage

Sky Broadband Shield and McAfee security trial

Sky Fibre

You can potentially more than double your speeds by going for Sky Fibre - that's assuming fibre optic broadband is available on your road. But be warned...you're limited to use only 25GB of data per month. So you'll have to be careful to ration the amount of box sets you stream and music you download. Sky Fibre includes:

Up to 38Mb speed

Sky Hub router

25GB per month data limit

Sky Broadband Shield and McAfee security trial

Sky Fibre Unlimited

The name's a bit of a giveaway. Take the Sky Fibre package and make the data usage unlimited. It's quite a big jump in price and you'll be tied into an 18 month contract, but if you've got a data hungry household that are all simultaneously downloading, streaming and browsing, you'll be glad of the extra speed. Sky Fibre Unlimited includes:

Up to 38Mb speed

Sky Hub router

Unlimited data usage

Sky Broadband Shield and McAfee security trial

Sky Fibre Max

This is the daddy of the Sky broadband family. The provider cranks up the speed to up to 76Mb, which could give download speeds of roughly 9.5MB per second. Rapid. Plus it throws in the more powerful Sky Q Hub instead of the regular router. Sky Fibre Max includes:

Up to 76Mb speed

Sky Q Hub router

Unlimited data usage

Sky Broadband Shield and McAfee security trial

Can I add any Sky TV packages deals?

When you sign up for Sky broadband, the sales pitch for Sky TV quickly follows. As a minimum, you'll have to spend around £20 to add Sky Entertainment and then you can add further channels from there. Whatever you choose it comes with a Sky Q box, which lets you record up to 1TB worth of programming - that's around 500 hours - and you can choose from the following bundles:

Entertainment Sky's most affordable TV bundle throws in around 100 channels, including Sky Atlantic, Sky One and Sky Living. This is the base layer to which you can add one or more (or none) of the following.

Sky Cinema Whatever your film tastes, the eleven Sky Cinema channels are likely to have you covered. From Disney and Family to Thriller and Comedy.

Sky Sports Unless it's on special offer, you'll have to pay about an extra £20 a month to add Sky's suite of sport channels. There are dedicated channels for football, cricket, golf and F1, while the main event station carries the headline events of the day.

Kids If there are children in the household, an extra fiver or so a month bags 10+ kids channels and thousands of on-demand episodes of children's TV. And then there's the Sky Kids app which features even more shows and games.

Box Sets If you spend your evenings binging on box sets, a fiver a month gives you immediate access to more than 350.

What Sky Hub router will I get?

Depending on what Sky broadband plan you go for, you'll be sent one of two different routers:

Sky Hub The standard wireless Sky Hub router should be good enough to provide a sufficient signal to the household. But it may not quite have the oomph to support a strong signal to every corner of larger houses.

Sky Q Hub It may be a little bit chunkier than the ordinary Sky Hub, but that translates into a more powerful router. If you're desperate for fast downloads, it connect to 5GHz channels and it has the capacity to connect 64 laptops, tablets, phones and other devices. If you're hankering for the Sky Q Hub but aren't intending to go for Sky Fibre Max, you can pay extra to upgrade.

How long will my Sky broadband contract last?

If you go for Sky's most affordable Broadband Unlimited plan, you'll get a one year contract. With all of the Fibre packages, you'll be tied into an 18 month commitment to Sky. You may not wish to be tied into a contract that long, but at least you'll know what you'll be paying for longer.

Sky Talk - do I get a Sky phone line?

The price you pay for Sky Broadband also includes Sky Line Rental, which lets you retain your existing home phone number.

You can pay an extra premium for a Sky Talk allowance - for example, Sky Talk Evenings and Weekends allows unlimited calls during those windows (evenings are defined as 7pm-7am), Sky Talk Anytime Extra for as many calls as you wish to UK landlines at any time and Sky Talk International Extra if you have friends or family living overseas.

Do I get Sky email?

If you want it, you'll be assigned with a Sky Yahoo! Mail account. You can access this email account on any computer, smartphone or tablet - not just your home PC or laptop.

What is Sky WiFi?

As a Sky broadband customer, you'll get access to unlimited usage of Sky's wi-fi hotspots that are dotted around the UK. You can connect up to six devices to the thousands of hotspot locations, which include popular coffee and restaurant chains.

What is Sky Broadband Shield?

Access to Sky Broadband Shield is included with every internet plan and adds a layer of security to your online life at home. As well as seeking out malware and phishing scam attempts, the Shield includes parental controls so you can make sure your children aren't landing on websites they shouldn't.

For even greater protection, a subscription to Sky broadband also includes a free trial to McAfee Internet Security Suite. But it's well worth checking out our pick of the best antivirus software on the market before you commit to that.

Sky broadband help and the Switch Squad

There's a multitude of online guides, help and support on the Sky website, but you can call Sky Help as well to discuss your broadband on 0330-041-4376.

If you're having difficulty switching to Sky broadband, the company has a dedicated so-called Switch Squad to get you transferred over from your current broadband provider.

To transfer to Sky Broadband now, you can order online at the Sky Shop.

]]>Facebook brings Snapchat-like AR filters to the Messenger apphttp://www.techradar.com/news/facebook-brings-snapchat-like-ar-filters-to-the-messenger-app
http://www.techradar.com/news/facebook-brings-snapchat-like-ar-filters-to-the-messenger-appThe social media giant also opens its AR development kit to the general public so devs can make their own "World Lenses."Tue, 12 Dec 2017 21:18:45 +0000techradar.comImage credit: Facebook

Virtual reality may be comparatively stuck in the mud for the time being, but augmented reality is in full gear.

Facebook realizes this, and to that effect it has announced it’s bringing new Snapchat-style augmented reality features called World Effects to its Facebook Messenger app. They’re basically the same things as Snapchat’s World Lenses.

The basic idea is that you can drop 3D objects into your photos to make them appear as though they’re there in real life, such as a heart over someone’s head. A bit more usefully, you could use a floating arrow to point out a specific location in a wide shot.

The news accompanies the announcement that Facebook is letting the general public use its augmented reality Camera Effects Platform and AR Studio kit, which lets developers create items like “masks” that fit over your face in photos. It also means independent developers can make World Lenses of their own.

Originally the kit was limited to just 2,000 or so entities, which led to such memorable filters such as one for Game of Thrones that made users look like the Night King or one for Star Wars that made them look like Kylo Ren.

About face

In a sense, this is Facebook’s way of playing catch-up with Apple and Google, both of whom released their own AR kits for developers earlier this year.

Facebook is at a bit of advantage in that its kit technically works across any iOS or Android smart device, but it also suffers a bit since its third-party status keeps it from the kind of insider tricks users of Apple’s ARKit can use with the iPhone X.

The benefits of direct camera access could be seen just yesterday in Google’s launch of Star Wars and Stranger Things AR “stickers” for its two Pixel 2 smartphones, which makes drop characters from both properties into your photos and videos.

]]>YouTube TV: Everything you need to know about the TV streaming servicehttp://www.techradar.com/news/youtube-tv-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-tv-streaming-service
http://www.techradar.com/news/youtube-tv-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-tv-streaming-serviceYouTube TV is available right now. So what is it? How does it work? We’ve got the answers.Tue, 12 Dec 2017 17:40:56 +0000techradar.comUpdate: YouTube TV is expanding. Again. This time the service is coming to a whopping 34 new metropolitan areas, including New Orleans, Green Bay, San Diego and San Antonio. That brings the total number of markets to a record-high 83.

YouTube TV is hoping to re-shape the cord-cutting movement - and it has good reason to believe that can happen. After all, YouTube was the biggest name in video streaming long before Hulu, Netflix and Amazon ever thought to get into the video-on-demand game.

The service is essentially a cable replacement, offering live TV to your phone, tablet and television without a costly cable subscription and contract.

It's a deal that feels too good to be true for those of us bombarded by cable box rental fees, hidden charges and ever-higher cable bills. And while it has some negatives out there - like being available in just 83 cities across the US - it could one day put cable companies in their place.

How to watch YouTube TV

YouTube TV is compatible with iOS and Android phones and tablets, meaning you can stream app video content to your television, too.

That makes both the Chromecast and Apple TV compatible by extension, and Google confirmed in September that it's working on both an Android TV and Roku app for YouTube TV.

Now, it's also worth pointing out that to access YouTube TV, not only are you going to need a subscription to the service but also an internet service plan from one of your local ISPs (for most folks, that's AT&T, Spectrum, Verizon).

This is something most folks pay for already and therefore hasn't been figured into the cost of YouTube TV - but it's worth noting nonetheless.

Why YouTube TV is new, but important

Why is YouTube TV going to be big? Well, while PlayStation Vue and Sling TV had to carve out a new audience for their products, YouTube TV already has one – one billion users that live in 88 countries and speak 76 different languages.

Sure, both Sony and DISH are large corporations, but do they have one billion people using their products to stream videos every year? Not likely.

OK, so YouTube TV is going to be big, you get that. But what exactly is YouTube TV and why should you care? Let’s talk about it.

What is YouTube TV?

YouTube TV is a US-exclusive live TV streaming service – think Netflix but instead of on-demand TV shows and movies you’ll see cable channels like ABC, NBC, FOX, ESPN and Disney among many, many more. It’s like cable in the sense that everything is divided by channel and, yes, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee for it, but the difference here is that you’ll be able to take shows whenever and wherever you go.

Well, sort of. Because YouTube TV has mainstream local stations (NBC, ABC, FOX, etc...), it initially launched in a few cities and then expanded out into other regions – similar to how PlayStation Vue started.

Loading up the service for the first time, we were recommended shows like Archer, The Big Bang Theory, The Simpsons and many more. We easily found enough content to keep us entertained for the time-being, plus will have plenty to watch next time we log-on thanks to YouTube TV's stellar Cloud DVR.

Cloud DVR, if you've never heard that term before, allows you to record your favorite shows as they air and save them, well, to the cloud so that you can watch them later. It’s TiVo, but everything’s online. YouTube TV promises unlimited storage for shows for up to nine months – a serious advantage over the competition which usually only offer 28 days of storage.

YouTube TV on every device? We hope so.

Also, unlike Sling TV which wants you to buy a more expensive package to allow more than one user to watch TV at a time, YouTube says that its service will allow up to six people in the family to access the service and will allow up to three of them tune into the service simultaneously on the same account – a big advantage when you’re looking to replace cable and you have a big family.

The other thing we know about YouTube TV is its price: $35 a month. For comparison, that’s slightly more expensive than Sling TV’s basic $20-per-month package and a few dollars less than PlayStation Vue’s basic $39 package that includes local stations like CBS, NBC, etc…

But, to sweeten the deal, pay for your first month of service and you'll get a brand-new Chromecast for free.

Cut to the chase

What is YouTube TV? A live TV streaming service like Sling TV

When is it coming out? It's available right now!

How much will it cost? $35 per month, unless you get an add-on package

Where can you watch it? Anywhere in the 83 US markets where it's available

What channels are included?

First off, all the mainstream local channels are on-board: NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX. That means every NFL game up to and including the Super Bowl, are yours to watch every Sunday. AMC has also signed on, which means you'll still be able to get your Walking Dead fix on Sundays.

On top of all those channels shown above, you’ll also get access to YouTube’s own network of shows, YouTube Red Originals. Shows on this ‘network’ (a term we use very lightly here) include Scare PewDiePie and exclusive films that you’ve probably never heard of. This really isn’t a huge draw for most people, but hey, maybe the money that comes in from YouTube TV can be used to crank up the quality of this content to near-Netflix levels.

Now, like Amazon Video, you can actually tack on additional premium stations for an extra fee. Right now the list of premium offerings include FOX Soccer Plus and Showtime, which cost around $10 extra per month.

OK, so who’s missing so far? Well, AMC, CNN, Comedy Central, Discovery, Food Network, MTV and TNT aren’t there, which is a bit of a bummer, and there aren’t as many channels for kids on YouTube TV as there are on Sling TV – a potential problem for parents.

HBO hasn’t signed up for the service yet either, which is strange considering that it peddles its wares on Amazon Video, but then again you can always subscribe to HBO Now if you really need your Game of Thrones on the go.

How is it different than YouTube Red?

This can be sort of confusing, so listen up. YouTube Red is an ad-free version of YouTube that has a few fun features like allowing you to keep a video playing even when your phone is turned off. A subscription to YouTube Red also gives you access to the YouTube Red Originals channel that we talked about earlier.

What YouTube Red won't allow you to do is watch live TV or cable TV content. For that you'll need YouTube TV.

YouTube TV, like YouTube Red, will start as a US-only service and then might possibly expand out into other territories. YouTube wants to roll its Red service out to the UK sometime in 2017, but it's facing problems doing so. It's more than likely YouTube TV would follow in that path, unfortunately.

Is there some crossover potential here between these two services? Absolutely. Maybe a subscription to YouTube TV also nets you a free subscription to Red. But we'll just have to wait to find out more from YouTube if that's the case.

Is YouTube TV a better deal than cable?

That’s a good question. The answer here is ‘maybe’. Depending on how your cable service provider packages its internet and cable bundles. If you’re already paying for internet service, you can tack on an extra $30 for YouTube TV and maybe a $10-per-month subscription to Netflix and have just as much content as you’d have from a cable TV service that usually run $60-70 per month.

That being said, if you’re paying for one of those bundles that allows you to package cable, internet and phone service together for a lower price, YouTube TV might not come out to be any less.

You're still going to need cable (or HBO Now) for your Game of Thrones fix

The benefits of going for a streaming service over a cable service are the ability to watch shows wherever you go, the potential to use Cloud DVR to save shows for later and the no-obligations contract that allows you to cancel your account without a termination fee. On top of everything else, you don’t need to rent a cable box from companies like Comcast, Spectrum or AT&T, because the streaming service comes in through whatever device you’re using.

In short, YouTube TV can offer as many channels as basic cable does, without the need for a cable box and 12-month contract, which is why we consider it a win. It does all that and offers Cloud DVR, is available a plethora of apps for devices like Roku, Apple TV and the various game consoles and does video-on-demand, making it one of the best streaming services on the planet.

So, when can you watch it? Right now. Just head over to tv.youtube.com to start your free trial.

]]>Get a £100 Amazon voucher with Virgin broadband and TV deals until Thursdayhttp://www.techradar.com/news/get-a-100-amazon-voucher-with-virgin-broadband-and-tv-deals-until-thursday
http://www.techradar.com/news/get-a-100-amazon-voucher-with-virgin-broadband-and-tv-deals-until-thursdayVirgin Media's flash sale on broadband and TV bundles gives you a £100 sweetener.Tue, 12 Dec 2017 12:11:21 +0000techradar.comIf you want lightning-fast fibre optic internet, stacks of TV channels, the ability to record your favourite shows and half a year of free Netflix, then Virgin Media's premium TV and broadband bundles have a 100% hit rate. And for the next couple of days, Virgin will also give you a £100 voucher with a selection of its premium packages.

The voucher can be claimed when you sign up for the provider's Full House and VIP bundles, and can be spent at Amazon, John Lewis or Marks & Spencer. The £56 per month Full House bundle includes all of the following:

If all that sounds tempting and you can get Virgin where you live then you can sign up for it right here or call 08000-492-102 to order over the phone. But you need to be quick – this offer expires at 11.59pm on Thursday December 14.

Here's that Virgin Media Full House broadband and TV deal in full:

If you want even more channels, or are hankering after even faster internet speeds, then the £100 voucher is also available with the following packages:

Is Virgin fibre broadband available in my area?

Around 60% of UK households are now able to receive superfast Virgin broadband. It's easy to discover whether you're one of the lucky 3-in-5 – head to our dedicated Virgin broadband deals page, enter your postcode where indicated at the top of the page, and if deals show as available then you're laughing.

If no results are returned, then head to our best broadband deals page instead, and do exactly the same thing to see whether you can get superfast fibre broadband with another provider, such as BT Infinity.

Existing Virgin Media broadband customers

Sorry, the Virgin website confirms that these sale prices and gift cards are for new customers only.

Note that this isn’t a fresh data breach, but rather a compendium of past breaches, all collated together into one mega-file, with the hard work already done in terms of the fact that the data is unencrypted (it has already been cracked, if the data in question was encrypted in the first place – not always the case with some security breaches).

According to security researchers from 4iQ, the file weighs in at 41GB and as mentioned carries 1.4 billion username, email and password credentials, all in plaintext (unencrypted).

This is a worrying move indeed, given that it makes things much easier for cybercriminals to gain convenient and wider access to a bunch of potentially still functional logins, even if this data dates back some time.

You would hope that many of the passwords would have been changed since, but according to Julio Casal, founder of 4iQ: “None of the passwords are encrypted, and what’s scary is that we’ve tested a subset of these passwords and most of the have been verified to be true.”

Part of the problem is that even if the hacked password has been changed on the site it was stolen from, the user may have reused that password on another site.

Organized cybercrime

The passwords are also well organized, being indexed and alphabetized, so the vast database is easy to search.

This is all part of the trend of things becoming easier for the ne’er-do-wells who lurk on the net and dark web. These days you can even buy ransomware-as-a-service, and easy-to-use toolkits to spread malware and exploit unfortunate victims online.

4iQ further notes that this file aggregates around 250 old breaches, including many known breaches such as LinkedIn, Netflix, Last.FM and YouPorn, and it’s coming on for twice as large as the previous biggest credential exposure (which aggregated almost 800 million credentials).

While, as mentioned, much of the data is from old breaches already known in the hacker community, 4iQ found that 14% of the username and passwords had not previously been available in readily-usable decrypted form.

You might well ask what’s in it for the person who took the time to put together this mega-file? As Wccftech.com reports, the author has added details of a Bitcoin wallet for those who feel the project is worthy of giving a donation.

Finally, which was the most commonly used password amongst these cracked credentials? It’ll be no surprise to find out that it was the incredulously unsophisticated ‘123456’. Encryption aside, cracking passwords really can be as easy as 1-2-3, pretty much, it seems…

It’s worth making sure one of the best antivirus apps is defending your PC

]]>The best broadband deals in December 2017http://www.techradar.com/news/broadband-deals
http://www.techradar.com/news/broadband-dealsWe've found the best broadband deals from the likes of BT, Sky, Virgin Media and beyond...Tue, 12 Dec 2017 08:30:38 +0000techradar.comFind the best broadband deal for you

Finding the best broadband internet deals is no easy task - there are so many options. Do you need superfast fibre broadband? Should you go for a cheap broadband only deal for less than £20 per month, or add TV and phone plans to your internet package?

We're here to help you make that decision. Pop in your postcode above and we'll give you a list of the lowest priced home broadband deals available in your area. With the latest offers from BT broadband, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk all included, our widget will filter down the best broadband deals in the UK today.

Best fibre broadband deals (subject to availability at your postcode)

The best broadband and TV deals in the UK this month

Best broadband only deal in the UK this month

What broadband speed do I need?

Superfast fibre broadband may sound appetising, but it may not be necessary for your home - especially if you want to cut costs. It could be worth considering slower, cheaper ADSL instead.

Broadband speeds are represented in megabits per second, or Mb. Crudely speaking, the more Mbs, the faster the broadband speed. But remember that the advertised speed is the maximum and doesn't necessarily represent the actual speed you'll end up getting. That varies depending where you live.

0-25Mb This entry-level broadband speed is transmitted via an ADSL connection to your nearest BT exchange. The equivalent to around 2.1MB per second, It should be fast enough for small households where only one or two people are using the internet at once. Be aware that if you stream TV, you may experience the odd interruption.

25-50Mb Where Virgin led the way, the rest followed. Now every big provider offers rapid fibre broadband. This is the sweet spot between fast speeds and good value and just the ticket for a family household where four or five members are all streaming, downloading and surfing at once.

50+Mb If you stream 4K TV or have loads of people trying to use your broadband connection at once, then it may be worth shelling out for the extra speed. It may cost you more, but you're pretty much guaranteed lag-free use - plus, the providers often sweeten the deal with added extras and rewards.

Is fibre broadband available in my area?

There's one very easy way to find out...scroll to the top of this page and input your postcode. We'll tell you straight away whether you can get fast fibre broadband.

Roughly speaking, 90% of UK homes now have the option of connecting to fibre broadband. But if you have your heart on Virgin Media fibre plans, it's more like around 60%.

What contract length should I go for?

Most broadband providers lock you in for at least 12 months, with one year plans being by far the most common. That said, perhaps taking their cue from mobile phone contracts, we are now seeing some providers experimenting with longer plans, with 18 month contracts rearing their heads.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, some providers now offer short term rolling contracts. Virgin Media, for example, have 30 day plans for commitment-phobes. The downside is you'll be expected to play a larger setup fee.

When your contract comes to an end, be prepared for your monthly tariff to be hiked - especially if you were lucky enough to get a great introductory offer at the outset.

Will I have to pay anything upfront for broadband?

Usually. Sometimes known as 'setup', 'upfront' or 'activation' fees, most of the major broadband providers ask for at least some payment when you kick off your contract. The amount usually depends on what level of package you go for, but it will likely be somewhere between £10 and £60. Only TalkTalk bucks the trend - they've scrapped their activation fee completely, while other brands run frequent promotions where they temporarily scrap their upfront cost.

There may be other added extras, too, however. If you take a broadband and TV package, you might be charged for the TV set-top box. And some, including BT and EE, charge delivery for the router.

Do I have to pay more to have a phone line?

If you still use a home landline to make and receive calls, you're in luck - many broadband plans don't just feature a landline, but they actually include it in your monthly price.

You will have to start paying more though when you have a personalised call plan. You'll see your standard monthly bill begin to escalate when you start adding unlimited evening, daytime or international calls to the mix.

]]>The best Vodafone broadband deals in December 2017http://www.techradar.com/news/vodafone-broadband-deals
http://www.techradar.com/news/vodafone-broadband-dealsBetter known for mobile plans, we've found Vodafone broadband deals that are worth phoning home about.Tue, 12 Dec 2017 08:25:19 +0000techradar.comWe know what you may be thinking – "since when did Vodafone do broadband deals?" Well it's been around two years since the mobile phone network entered the rat-race of providing home internet and it's proving itself to be one of the most cost effective exponents of cheap broadband on the UK market.

Vodafone used to hold back its best deals exclusively for customers already with a phone contract. But now the company's best prices on superfast fibre broadband are available to all-comers.

If you already know the Vodafone internet deal you want, it's easy to select it from our comparison tool above. But if you're still deciding, then scroll down for more information about what it offers.

Vodafone broadband packages compared – what broadband speed can I get with Vodafone?

Vodafone offers three different speed options, from standard ADSL to razor sharp 76Mb fibre broadband. What you decide to get will depend on your budget and home internet use:

Vodafone Unlimited Standard Broadband 17

This is Vodafone's standard ADSL option with connection speeds of up to 17Mb (around 2.1MB per second). Existing Vodafone customers do get a better deal than others on this plan, as you'll have less to pay upfront. But generally Vodafone doesn't have very competitive prices on ADSL either way. Invariably in fact, it's cheaper to go for its cheapest fibre option. Vodafone Unlimited Standard Broadband 17 includes:

This is where Vodafone broadband gets really interesting. Its superfast fibre package - Unlimited Fibre 38 - is one of the cheapest fibre broadband deals on the market right now. The monthly payments are super cheap and there are no activation or delivery fees to pay upfront. So pop your postcode in our comparison chart at the top of the page, to see whether your home can get Vodafone's 38Mb speeds. Vodafone Unlimited Fibre 38 includes:

An extra fiver a month allows you to crank up the speed to a maximum of 76Mb (9.5MB per second). That's money well spent if you have a house full of people all trying to use the internet at once, or have a penchant for streaming the latest 4K Ultra HD films and box-sets. Again, for the speeds you get, this is excellent value. Vodafone Unlimited Fibre 76 includes:

Should I switch from my current provider to go for Vodafone broadband?

Wow, you must be really keen on these Vodafone bargains! And as if the the super low tariff and promise of free gifts weren't enough of an incentive, Vodafone broadband will also give you £100 to break alliances with your current provider to cover any cancellation fees.

Before doing so, we'd strongly suggest speaking to your current provider first. They'll tell you exactly how much your cancellation penalty comes to – and may even offer you a better rate to convince you to stay. We'd also recommend reading the exact terms and conditions to receive the £100 on the Vodafone website.

Can I add TV or call plans to Vodafone broadband?

If you're looking for a one-stop shop for broadband, TV and call plans from your home's landline, then you'll have to keep hunting. Vodafone doesn't currently offer these add-ons (although Vodafone TV may not be far away...). Head to our best broadband and TV deals guide and use the comparison chart to narrow down your ideal all-round package.

What is the Ultra-Smart Vodafone Connect Router?

This is the free router you get when you sign up for Vodafone broadband, whether that be standard ADSL or superfast fibre. You don't even have to pay to have it delivered! You can control the router from your mobile if you download Vodafone'as app, which lets you see who's connected and change your Wi-Fi password.

Another rather nice touch is that the router's LED lights (which can often be something of an irritant out the corner of your eye) can be turned off, or only come on when you pass your hand over them.

How long will my Vodafone broadband contract last?

This is very straightforward indeed – all Vodafone broadband contracts last for 18 months. So if you're adamant on only committing to your internet provider for a year, then you'll have to continue your search for cheap broadband deals.

To transfer to Vodafone now, head to our comparison table at the top of this page and narrow down your perfect plan. Alternatively, you can head straight to the Vodafone website.

]]>The best fibre broadband deals in December 2017http://www.techradar.com/news/fibre-broadband-deals
http://www.techradar.com/news/fibre-broadband-dealsWe've got the cheapest prices on faster fibre broadband deals from the likes of Virgin Media, Sky and BT Infinity.Tue, 12 Dec 2017 08:20:57 +0000techradar.comThanks to the likes of Virgin Media, BT Infinity and Sky Fibre, you can now wave goodbye to the nightmare of sluggish web browsing, interrupted catch-up TV and slow downloads. Faster fibre broadband is now more affordable and widely available than ever before.

If you thought that the best broadband deals were reserved for slower ADSL internet connections, think again. Fibre optic broadband is a bloody battleground for the major providers, which means frequently fantastic prices for the consumer. Over the last few months, we've seen prices as low as £20 per month for 38Mb internet..

So check out our fibre broadband deals comparison chart above to pick out the package that suits you - whether you're after a fibre plan that includes TV channels, a flexible phone offer or simply fibre broadband internet on its own. Below we explain everything you need to know about fibre optic broadband - including fibre broadband availability - followed by more information on providers including BT Infinity, Sky, Virgin Media, EE and more.

What is fibre broadband?

We don't want to get too technical here - the main thing to take from this is that fibre broadband is far faster than traditional ADSL internet. It uses fibre optic cables to send and receive data, resulting in a speedier, more reliable internet connection.

So instead of being stuck with maximum standard speeds of 17Mb, you can at least double that to 38Mb for download speeds of around 4.75MB per second. As well as facilitating ridiculously fast downloading, the extra speed is ideal for large households where lots of people are using the internet at once. If you stream 4K films and TV or play a lot of online games, fibre broadband is a must to ensure the highest-quality user experience.

All of the most popular providers - including Sky, TalkTalk, EE, Plusnet, Vodafone, John Lewis and the Post Office - offer a 38Mb fibre broadband plan, while BT goes one better. Its BT infinity fibre broadband starts at speeds of up to 52Mb (6.5MB per second).

If you're wondering why we haven't mentioned Virgin Media broadband yet, it's because its super fast service is slightly different again. It uses coaxial cable instead of copper fibre optics to connect your home to the exchange. That basically means even faster internet speeds for you - between 50Mb (6.25 MB per second) and an incredible 300Mb (37.5 MB per second).

Fibre broadband checker - is fibre broadband available in my area?

There's one extremely easy way to discover whether fibre broadband is available where you live - head to the top of this page, type in your postcode, hit 'compare deals', and if any results come back then you can indeed get fibre. Fibre and cable broadband is currently available in around 90% of the UK's homes, so the odds are in your favour.

What contract length should I go for?

Standard 12 month contracts used to be the norm, but more and more providers now set their minimum contracts at 18 months. There are two ways to look at this - on one hand, getting a longer contract some times also means that you are guaranteed the initial price for a longer period. So no nasty surprises half way through the term.

But at the same time, you obviously have less flexibility, being tied in for half a year longer. If you hate the idea of such a long contract, then head back up to our comparison chart and use the filter to see only year-long deals. There will be fewer to choose from, but there are still excellent prices to be had.

Will I have to pay anything upfront for fibre broadband?

Most providers ask for at least something when you take up their fibre broadband deal. This will usually be an activation fee, which covers the cost of getting you hooked up. There may also be an additional delivery charge to pay to get hold of your new router. In most cases, expect to pay between £10 and £60, although the likes of TalkTalk and Plusnet often run offers where they scrap all upfront costs.

Do I have to pay more to have a phone line?

Nope, all of the prices in our comparison chart include the land line. Providers used to specify how much you were paying for the phone line and internet separately, but now it's standard practice just to bundle them up together and give one single price. We welcome this change, as it makes the whole buying process a lot more straightforward. Having the phone line allows you to make calls if you still use a landline, and the basic price sometimes includes free or cheap weekend calls. If you want to add any other usage packages, you can use our comparison table to find more options, like evening, anytime and international calls.

BT Infinity broadband

For most people, BT will still be the first name that springs to mind when they think of broadband. Infinity is the of its fibre broadband packages - choose from the following options:

BT Unlimited Infinity 1 | Up to 52Mb
The maximum 52Mb download speed (around 6.5 MB per second) from BT Infinity 1 is faster than most other providers' entry-level fibre broadband. You also get the rangey BT Smart Hub router, instead of BT's standard Home Hub.

BT Unlimited Infinity 2 | Up to 76Mb
Fast enough to keep up with downloading and streaming from multiple members of your household. It doesn't come cheap, but does include 500GB of cloud storage, the Smart Hub and usually a very generous prepaid Reward Card to spend as you would a Mastercard.

Sky fibre broadband

On the face of it, the TV giant's basic Sky Fibre package looks like an amazing price. But beware - you're limited to only 25GB of data every month. See what else is on offer:

Sky Fibre | Up to 38Mb | 25GB data limit
Sky Fibre offers a competitive price point if you want fast broadband but don't do a great deal of downloading or streaming. You're limited to 25GB per month, but that's plenty for dealing with emails and generally browsing the web.

Sky Fibre Unlimited | Up to 38Mb
Costing around a tenner more than Sky Fibre, Unlimited gives you exactly what it says on the tin - there are no restrictions at all on how much you use the internet with this plan.

Sky Fibre Max | Up to 76Mb
Sky's premium broadband plan throws in some extras to justify the increased price. The 76Mb (around 9.5MB per second) maximum speed matches most of the fastest fibre plans around (Virgin excepted) and you get a Sky Q Hub router for free.

Virgin Media fibre optics broadband

Virgin Media cable broadband offers unparalleled internet speeds - no other provider can touch even its entry-level package. You can choose from:

VIVID 50 fibre broadband | Up to 50Mb Virgin is now available for less than £30 a month thanks to new VIVID 50. So look at our postcode checker above to see if it's available on your street.

VIVID 100 fibre broadband | Up to 100Mb
You'll need to pay over £30 to get Virgin's cheapest broadband package. But you're unlikely to feel too shortchanged with the connection speeds. The 100Mb claimed speed translates to 12.5 MB per second.

VIVID 200 fibre broadband| Up to 200Mb
As Virgin proudly points out, VIVID 200 more than doubles the maximum speed supplied by BT Infinity and Sky Fibre's fastest speed. The ultrafast 200Mb speed is a good fit if you stream 4K films and if there are 10 or so devices connected at once.

VIVID 200 Gamer | Up to 200Mb
There's more than just the 'boss-level broadband' tagline that should appeal to gamers about this fibre package. Pay an extra fiver from the standard VIVID 200 to bag up to 20Mb upload speeds - handy for online gaming. And you don't have to worry about online traffic management that can slow you down at peak times.

VIVID 300 fibre broadband | Up to 200Mb
Home broadband speeds in the UK don't come faster than those provided by Virgin's VIVID 300 fibre plan. It costs more than £40 a month, but you get speeds of up to 37.5MB per second. Extremely rapid.

TalkTalk fibre broadband

TalkTalk frequently manages to come up with brilliant, cheap deals on fibre broadband. The added bonus...it doesn't charge an activation fee when you sign up:

TalkTalk Faster Fibre| Up to 38Mb
The price for TalkTalk's entry-level fibre broadband includes your phone line and set-up. Unlike most other providers, you can choose your contract length: 12, 18 or 24 months.

TalkTalk Faster Fibre Broadband with Speed Boost| Up to 76Mb
TalkTalk's superfast broadband offering is one of the most competitively priced, and the absence of a set-up fee only sweetens the deal. This is the TalkTalk plan to go for if you have a multitude of data-hungry folk in your home.

Plusnet fibre broadband

Although Plusnet is owned by BT, it is continuing to operate in its own right and tends to be more affordable than its parent company. It has two broadband options:

Plusnet Unlimited Fibre | Up to 38Mb
Choose between a 12 and 18 month contract for Plusnet Unlimited Fibre, and get unlimited usage, 365 days a year support and a Plusnet Hub One router delivered to your door for free.

Plusnet Unlimited Fibre Extra | Up to 76Mb
The same, only much faster! Take the Unlimited Fibre package above and double the download speed.

EE fibre broadband

A name more commonly associated with mobile phones, the UK's fastest 4G network is trying to make EE your one stop shop for landline broadband too. You can choose from:

EE Fibre Broadband | Up to 38Mb
EE fibre broadband prices are quite attractive, but even more so if you're already a phone customer. Then, you'll be granted an extra 5GB of monthly data allowance on your mobile contract.

EE Fibre Plus Broadband | Up to 76Mb
It will cost you an extra few pounds to crank up the speed to EE's fastest Fibre Plus Broadband. Like the entry-level package, you get a free subscription to Norton antivirus and the option to upgrade to EE TV.

Vodafone fibre broadband

Another name more commonly associated with mobile phones, but there are excellent prices to be had from Vodafone broadband - whether or not you're an existing phone customer:

Vodafone Unlimited Fibre 38 | Up to 38Mb
You may have previously found that Vodafone's prices were a little on the high side, unless you already had your mobile phone with the network. But that's all changed! Now, ALL new broadband customers get the benefit of Vodafone's cheapest internet prices.

Vodafone Unlimited Fibre 76 | Up to 76Mb
Faster broadband but the same competitive pricing makes Vodafone a very enticing option if you want 76Mb - regardless of whether you're already committed to the red network.

SSE fibre broadband

Already one of the 'Big Six' energy companies, SSE is now offering cheap prices on fibre broadband. As you might expect, the prices get good if you use SSE as your energy supplier.

SSE Superfast Fibre Broadband | Up to 38Mb
SSE doesn't have a 72Mb option, so you'll have to go elsewhere. But the 4.75MB per second broadband speed will still be ample for most small households and deliver seamless surfing and streaming. Existing SSE energy customers get an automatic £25 credit on their next bill and there's a 25% saving to be made on an additional landline phone package.

]]>The best cheap broadband only deals in December 2017http://www.techradar.com/news/broadband-only-deals
http://www.techradar.com/news/broadband-only-dealsIf you're simply looking for the cheapest broadband deals, we'll show you the best prices for broadband only plans.Tue, 12 Dec 2017 08:15:03 +0000techradar.comAll of the major players on the telecommunications scene now offer internet, TV and phone package deals. But if you don't use a home phone and are happy with the standard TV channels, a cheap home broadband only contract is all you'll need.

Use our postcode checker above to filter down the broadband deals available to you and whether you can go for superfast fibre broadband. Then use our comparison chart to home in on the perfect package - they all include a phone line, so you don't have to worry about getting one separately. And keep scrolling if you want some in-depth information about broadband plans and the broadband only plans offered by BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk and others.

Cheapest broadband only deals this month

What broadband speed do I need?

If you simply want broadband for the cheapest price possible, you'll need to go for a standard ADSL connection. When you compare the prices of the cheapest standard speeds and unlimited superfast fibre, you'll see that you can save more than a fiver a month.

But if you're in the habit of streaming TV and films from the internet, or have lots of people in your household all online at once, then it pays to upgrade to fibre optic to allay annoying lags and slow webpage loading times. Broadband speeds are represented in megabits per second, or Mb - the greater the Mb, the faster the broadband speed (although your actual day-to-day speed will vary depending where you live).

0-25Mb It's not an acronym you see so much these days, but ADSL broadband is now the entry-level connection you can get for your home. With speeds up to 17Mb - just over 2MB per second - it's perfectly fine for small households who want to surf the web, handle their emails and stream non-4k catch-up TV.

25-50Mb Fibre broadband speeds start at up to 38Mb, so more than double what you get with standard ADSL. It's the sweet spot between fast speeds and good value and just the ticket for a family household where four or five members are all streaming, downloading and surfing at once.

50+Mb If you want to stream uninterrupted 4K Ultra HD content from Netflix or Amazon Instant Video, then it's well worth going for superfast internet. The same goes if you know that loads of people will be using your router simultaneously. BT Infinity deals, for example, start at up to 52Mb. While only Virgin Media broadband can offer 100Mb and over - that's an incredible 12.5MB per second.

Fibre broadband checker - can I get fibre broadband?

If you've read our advice above but are wondering whether fibre broadband is actually available in your area (it can currently be accessed by around 90% of UK households), then wonder no longer! Head to the top of this page, bash in your postcode and if you see fibre broadband deals on the list, then you're all good.

What contract length should I go for?

Broadband providers can deal in 12, 18 or 24-month contracts, with some providers giving you the choice. If you've got commitment issues or aren't sure how long you'll be at your property, then it's worth bagging one year deal. While getting an 18 month or two year deal often means that your price is guaranteed for longer.

If you need even greater flexibility, some companies offer 30 day contracts as well. Take Virgin for example. But bear in mind that they tend to charge higher set-up fees for the privilege.

Will I have to pay anything upfront for broadband?

There are only a few exceptions to the rule that you'll have to pay at least a little something immediately when you sign-up for broadband. The best case scenario is that it's just to cover the cost of delivering the router, but some providers also charge a set-up or activation fee to get you connected.

But if you head to our comparison charge above and use the filter on the left, you'll see that some providers don't charge a penny up front. This varies from time-to-time, with companies such as BT, TalkTalk and Plusnet running limited-time promotions where they remove these fees completely. So fingers crossed...

Can I get a phone line and TV channels with my broadband?

If you're curious how much a combined broadband, phone and TV package might cost, you can use our filters in the comparison chart above to tailor the best broadband plan for you and your household. There are hundreds of combinations, allowing you to cherry pick the amount and type of TV channels you get or when you can make calls. So our table will take the pain out of choosing.

BT broadband only deals and speeds

BT Unlimited Broadband | Up to 17Mb
BT is still the most popular broadband provider in the UK. You get the Home Hub 4 with its standard internet, as well as a Reward Card that you can spend anywhere Mastercard is accepted (the amount varies from week-to-week, so check our comparison chart for more details).

BT Unlimited Infinity | 52Mb-76Mb
Infinity is the name BT gives to its fibre optic broadband service. Infinity 1 gives speeds of up to 52Mb (around 6.5 MB per second download speed), which is faster than most other companies' entry-level fibre. Upgrade to Infinity 2 and crank the speed up to 76Mb. With both, you get the rangey BT Smart Hub router and a more bountiful Reward Card.

Sky broadband only deals and speeds

Sky Broadband Unlimited | Up to 17Mb
Sky Broadband Unlimited is one of the most competitively priced broadband plans on the market. Unlike the other Sky broadband packages that tie you in to 18 month contracts, Sky Broadband Unlimited is 12 months only.

Sky Fibre | 38Mb-76Mb
Opting for Sky Fibre is the cheapest way to get superfast broadband at 38Mb. But beware - if you go for its cheapest deal, you'll be limited to using, downloading and streaming up to 25GB of data per month. Pay more for Sky Fibre Unlimited, or extra still for Sky Fibre Max giving you up to 76Mb speed (around 9.5MB per second) and a Sky Q Hub router.

Virgin broadband only deals and speeds

Virgin VIVID fibre broadband | 50Mb-300Mb
Thanks to the new VIVID 50 package, you can now get Virgin Media's cheapest cable internet package for less than £30. But pay over £30 a month and you start to get some simply extraordinary speeds. Choose from 100Mb (12.5MB per second), 200Mb (25MB per second) or 300Mb (a jaw-dropping 37.5MB per second).

You can also choose VIVID 200 Gamer, which has better upload speeds and surpasses online traffic management to give you full speed even at peak times. Perfect for uninterrupted gaming.

TalkTalk broadband only deals and speeds

TalkTalk Fast Broadband| Up to 17Mb
Don't let the name fool you, TalkTalk's fast broadband offers only standard ADSL 17Mb speed. You can choose between 12, 18 and 24 month contract terms, with a lower monthly premium if you choose a year-and-a-half.

TalkTalk Faster Fibre| Up to 38Mb-76Mb
TalkTalk's fibre optic broadband plans are some of the cheapest around. And with its maximum speed of around 9.5MB per second, you can pay extra for Speed Boost and a Super Router - the TalkTalk broadband plan to go for if you have a multitude of data-hungry folk in your home.

Plusnet broadband deals and speeds

Plusnet Unlimited | Up to 17Mb
Plusnet is owned by BT, but its prices are usually quite a lot cheaper than BT internet and Infinity. In fact, we often find that Plusnet has the cheapest broadband only prices in the UK.

Plusnet Unlimited Fibre | 38Mb-76Mb
You can choose between Unlimited Fibre and Unlimited Fibre Extra, where the latter gives you Plusnet's fastest speeds. Either way, you'll get unlimited usage, 365 days a year support and a Plusnet Hub One router delivered to your door for free.

Vodafone broadband deals and speeds

Vodafone Standard Broadband 17 | Up to 17Mb
Better known for its mobile phone deals, Vodafone is a competitively priced broadband provider, too. It used to be that you had to have your mobile with Voda to get the cheapest tariffs, but that's all changed now.

Vodafone Unlimited Fibre | 38Mb-76Mb
Unlimited Fibre 38 or Unlimited Fibre 76 - there are no prizes for guessing what the numbers stand for in Vodafone's two fibre optic broadband plans.

SSE broadband deals and speeds

SSE Everyday Broadband | Up to 17Mb
Already one of the 'Big Six' energy companies, SSE is offering cheap prices on broadband - which makes a change from its day job as one of the big six energy firms. There are special offers to be had if you use SSE as your energy supplier.

SSE Superfast Fibre Broadband | Up to 38Mb
You'll have to go elsewhere if you need the very fastest broadband speeds, as SSE doesn't have a 72Mb option. As with Everyday, SSE energy customers will see an automatic £25 credit on their next bill and there's a 25% saving to be made on an additional landline phone package.

John Lewis broadband deals and speeds

John Lewis Unlimited | Up to 17Mb
John Lewis is a tried and trusted retailer, and now it's dipping its toe into the already crowded broadband market. But it has a lot going for it - there's no activation fee at all, and even the cheapest ADSL package includes a phone line and evening and weekend calls.

John Lewis Fibre | 38Mb-76Mb
John Lewis has two superfast fibre plans to choose from, and both give you unlimited use and free set-up. Fibre is the retailer's 38Mb tariff and Fibre Extra accelerates things up to 76Mb.

Post Office broadband deals and speeds

Post Office Unlimited Broadband | Up to 17MbYet another name that you'll be more used to seeing in other contexts, and another internet provider giving weekend and evening calls. The Post Office tends to offer some of the cheapest broadband deals around.

Post Office Fibre Unlimited Broadband | 38Mb-76Mb
Yep, you guessed it - 38Mb and 76Mb fibre optic broadband are the two options available from the post office, with the latter called Unlimited Fibre Broadband Plus. Unlike its ADSL prices though, superfast broadband from the Post Office is on the dear side.

]]>The best TalkTalk broadband deals in December 2017http://www.techradar.com/news/talktalk-broadband-deals
http://www.techradar.com/news/talktalk-broadband-dealsTalkTalk broadband has some of the best prices around. Discover the cheapest internet and Faster fibre deals.Tue, 12 Dec 2017 07:00:54 +0000techradar.comWe can't imagine that TalkTalk internet is the name that first pops into your head when you start researching a new broadband deal for your home. But since breaking away from Carphone Warehouse more than five years ago and into broadband, it has become one of the very cheapest internet providers on the market.

And it doesn't stop at inexpensive broadband only deals. Because TalkTalk also comes up with some truly spectacular prices on broadband and TV deals. Take a look at our price comparison tool above to whittle down the best internet plan for your household. Or, if you want some more information about what TalkTalk offers, then keep on reading...

TalkTalk broadband packages compared - what broadband speed can I get with TalkTalk?

It's one of the trickier decisions you'll have to make when choosing your broadband deal - do you save money with standard ADSL or splash the extra on a superfast fibre broadband package? Your options on TalkTalk are as follows:

TalkTalk Fast Broadband

To be honest, the name is slightly misleading here. TalkTalk's so-called Fast Broadband is no quicker than any other standard ADSL 17Mb (around 2.1MB per second) internet connection. But TalkTalk is invariably around the cheapest providers on the market. TalkTalk Fast Broadband includes:

Up to 17Mb speed

Super Router

Unlimited data usage

Super-Safe antivirus from F-Secure

TalkTalk Faster Broadband

If there are several members in your household who all use the internet simultaneously, it's well worth the extra few pounds a month to upgrade to TalkTalk's superfast fibre optic offering - Faster Broadband. That way, you reduce the chance of being frustrated by laggy video streams, slow downloads and sluggish web surfing. It's not available everywhere however, so use our postcode checker at the top of the page to see whether fibre is available where you live. TalkTalk Faster Broadband includes:

Up to 38Mb speed

Super Router

Unlimited data usage

Super-Safe antivirus from F-Secure

TalkTalk Faster Fibre Broadband with Speed Boost

Upgrade to Speed Boost and take your broadband up to 76Mb - that's not far off 10MB per second! This has to be your choice if you intend to stream 4K TV and films. Go for this package and you can more or less forget any concerns about interrupted internet use, regardless of how many people are trying to access it at once. Faster Fibre Broadband with Speed Boost includes:

Up to 76Mb speed

Super Router

Unlimited data usage

Super-Safe antivirus from F-Secure

What TalkTalk TV packages can I add to broadband?

Its internet and fibre deals may be cheap enough on their own, but some TalkTalk TV offers make the provider really worth considering if you want a one-stop shop for broadband and TV.

TalkTalk TV This basic plan is basically just the regular 80-odd channels that you get on Freeview. So if you already have Freeview integrated into your TV or via a set-top box, then we wouldn't advise paying extra for this from TalkTalk.

TalkTalk TV Plus TV Plus adds Sky's basic suite of channels. So on top of the regular Freeview content, you also get Sky 1 and 2, Sky Arts, Sky Living and Sky Sports News.

What is the TalkTalk Super Router?

No matter which TalkTalk broadband plan you opt for, you'll be sent the standard TalkTalk router - the grand sounding TalkTalk Super Router. It's delivered free of charge and TalkTalk describes it as featuring the “best performance in class”.

How long will my TalkTalk broadband contract last?

TalkTalk gives you a little bit more flexibility than some other providers. You can choose from 12, 18 or 24-month contracts. And TalkTalk guarantees your monthly tariff for the entire course of the contract, so it's potentially worth going for a longer contract if you can bag a Black Friday-esque price. That said, it tends to keep its best prices for 18-month deals.

Do I get a TalkTalk landline?

You do indeed. Every TalkTalk broadband package comes with a landline included in the price. And it throws in free call privacy features as well, including caller display, anonymous caller reject and last caller barring.

TalkTalk doesn't have the usual array of different calling plans that other providers offer. But you can add Unlimited UK Calls - giving as many calls as you like to UK mobiles and landlines - or choose from one of three international call packages.

If you're worried that you'll have to change telephone number when you switch to TalkTalk, there's really no need to be. Like most other providers (e.g. BT, Sky, Plusnet, etc), TalkTalk uses an Openreach landline. And if you were previously with Virgin, it's easy to 'port' your number over.

Can I add TalkTalk mobile?

This is a very easy one to answer - it's a big, fat NO. Or at least not at the moment. TalkTalk isn't currently doing mobile contracts, but its website suggests that it isn't far away on the horizon. We're hoping that when it does, TalkTalk will follow the likes of Vodafone and EE by offering discounts if you take both services.

To transfer to TalkTalk Broadband now, head to our comparison table at the top of this page and narrow down your perfect plan. Alternatively, you can head straight to the TalkTalk Shop.

]]>The best broadband and TV deals in December 2017http://www.techradar.com/news/broadband-and-tv-deals
http://www.techradar.com/news/broadband-and-tv-dealsGet the best deal on a broadband and TV package with TechRadar's price comparison tool.Tue, 12 Dec 2017 07:00:44 +0000techradar.comIf the last thing you want to do on your evening or weekend is to spend time shopping around for broadband contracts and TV plans, TechRadar is coming to the rescue. Not only will our price comparison tool above find you the cheapest prices, but we'll show you how buying a package broadband and TV deal will save you time and money.

BT and Sky Sports, movie channels, the latest US TV imports, 24/7 music - whatever your passion, there are TV packages to suit everybody. And whether you're content with a standard ADSL connection or require superfast fibre broadband, you'll be sure to end up with the combo to suit you with our price table. There are broadband and TV deals available from BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk and NOW TV.

Which broadband and TV packages have Sky Sports?

Sky Sports has long been the destination for serious sports fans. Building its reputation in the 90s as the only place to watch Premier League football, you'll still need to grab a Sky Sports subscription to watch Test match cricket, golf majors and most of the Formula One season.

You can add Sky Sports to the following broadband plans:

Sky Fibre

BT Unlimited Broadband and Infinity fibre

Virgin Media broadband

TalkTalk Fast Broadband and Faster Fibre

NOW TV Brilliant Broadband

Which broadband and TV packages have Sky Cinema?

Formerly known as Sky Movies, Sky Cinema features more films than you can shake a celluloid stick at. And it doesn't matter whether you like a laugh, crave nail-biting action or enjoy having your spine chilled - Sky Cinema channels include Comedy, Disney, Crime & Thriller, Sci-Fi & Horror and Premiere for all the best new flicks.

You can add Sky Cinema to the following broadband packages:

BT Unlimited Broadband and Infinity fibre

Sky Fibre

Virgin Media broadband

TalkTalk Fast Broadband and Faster Fibre

NOW TV Brilliant Broadband and Fab Fibre

Which broadband and TV packages have Sky Atlantic?

You don't need us to tell you that we're in a Golden Age for television drama and box sets. Sky Atlantic is the network's way to make the most of the small screen's new wave of high-quality broadcasting from the US. Premiering the likes of Ray Donovan, The Affair and Westworld to these shores, most of you are probably after Sky Atlantic for one thing and one thing alone...Game of Thrones.

You can add Sky Atlantic to the following broadband plans:

Sky Fibre

NOW TV Brilliant Broadband and Fab Fibre

Can I get BT Sport with my broadband and TV package?

Until recently, BT Infinity and broadband deals came with BT Sport for absolutely free. But that's all changed and you now have to pay £3.50 per month to enjoy BT Sport's exclusive coverage of Premier League and Champions League football, Premiership Rugby.

What broadband speed do I need?

After you've chosen what TV channels you want, the next thing to decide is how much to splash on the broadband element of the deal. Very simply, the faster the connection, the higher the monthly tariff, with the cheapest rates on standard ADSL internet.

If you rely on the internet for streaming or downloading TV, films and music, then it makes sense to pay a few quid more a month and go for a fibre broadband deal instead. Learn more about the different available broadband speeds and which you may need below.

0-25Mb The entry-level internet connection you can get is called ADSL, sometimes simply referred to as 'standard'. It delivers speeds of up to 17Mb, which equates to just over 2MB per second. It best suits small households who want to surf the web, handle their emails and stream non-4k catch-up TV.

25-50Mb Fibre broadband speeds start at up to 38Mb, so more than double what you get with standard ADSL. It's the sweet spot between fast speeds and good value and just the ticket for a family household where four or five members are all streaming, downloading and surfing at once.

50+Mb You need to crank up the speeds if you want to, say, stream 4K Ultra HD content TV and films. Most providers have speeds of 52MB and 76Mb, but only Virgin Media broadband can offer 100Mb and over - that's an incredible 12.5MB per second.

Can I get fibre broadband where I live?

If you think superfast broadband is what you need for your home, there may be a slight snag. Most households can now get it, but there's still around 10% of UK homes that still can't get it - and that rises to 40% where Virgin cable connections are concerned. So be sure to type in your postcode in our fibre broadband checker above to see whether superfast internet deals are available in your part of the country.

What contract length should I go for?

BT, Virgin and NOW all offer 18 month package deals, Sky does 12 monthers and TalkTalk gives the option between either. Virgin Media offers 30 day rolling contracts for broadband and TV contracts as well, but we wouldn't recommend them - the price shoots through the roof for these short term agreements.

Will I have to pay anything upfront for broadband and TV?

Afraid so. Unless you manage to catch one of the providers during one heck of a good promotional offer, you'll always have at least something to pay up front. This can include the costs of delivering the router and set-top TV internet box, but the likes of Virgin and BT also charge an activation or set-up fee.

Expect to pay at least £25 when you sign up for a TV and broadband deal, but it shouldn't cost you any more than around £70 at the outset.

BT broadband deals and speeds

BT Unlimited Broadband | Up to 17Mb
BT is still the most popular broadband provider in the UK. You get the Home Hub 4 with its standard internet, as well as a Reward Card that you can spend anywhere Mastercard is accepted (the amount varies from week-to-week, so check our comparison chart for more details).

BT Unlimited Infinity | 52Mb-76Mb
Infinity is the name BT gives to its fibre optic broadband service. Infinity 1 gives speeds of up to 52Mb (around 6.5 MB per second download speed), which is faster than most other companies' entry-level fibre. Upgrade to Infinity 2 and crank the speed up to 76Mb. With both, you get the rangey BT Smart Hub router and a more bountiful Reward Card.

Sky broadband deals and speeds

Sky Fibre | 38Mb-76Mb
Sky only lets you add TV channels if you go for one of its superfast broadband options. Sky Fibre is the cheapest plan, but be wise to the fact that you'll be limited to using, downloading and streaming up to 25GB of data per month. Pay more for Sky Fibre Unlimited, or extra still for Sky Fibre Max giving you up to 76Mb speed (around 9.5MB per second) and a Sky Q Hub router.

Virgin broadband deals and speeds

Virgin VIVID fibre broadband | 100Mb-300Mb
Not currently available on Virgin's cheapest VIVID 50 plan, you can instead choose from 100Mb (12.5MB per second), 200Mb (25MB per second) or 300Mb (a jaw-dropping 37.5MB per second). If you're also into gaming, you can choose VIVID 200 Gamer instead, which has better upload speeds and surpasses online traffic management to give you full speed even at peak times.

TalkTalk broadband deals and speeds

TalkTalk Faster Fibre| Up to 38Mb-76Mb
TalkTalk's fibre optic broadband plans are some of the cheapest around. And with its maximum speed of around 9.5MB per second, you can pay extra for Speed Boost and a Super Router.

NOW TV broadband deals and speeds

Brilliant Broadband | Up to 17MbWe can't help thinking of Paul Whitehouse when we hear the name 'Brilliant Broadband'. It's NOW TV's standard speed. Combine it with a TV plan and the prices can be very attractive indeed.

Fab Fibre| Up to 38Mb
Like the above, Fab Fibre comes with the NOW TV Hub router. The speeds head rise to around 4.75MB per second, which should be more than enough for streaming, downloading and surfing without frustration.

]]>The best BT broadband and Infinity deals in December 2017http://www.techradar.com/news/bt-broadband-deals
http://www.techradar.com/news/bt-broadband-dealsWherever you are in the UK, we'll point you towards BT's best ADSL and Infinity fibre broadband deals.Tue, 12 Dec 2017 07:00:44 +0000techradar.comBT is one of the first names you think of when choosing a broadband provider and its range of packages is varied. If you want BT internet, you can narrow down the best deals above - enter your postcode and we'll do the rest.

We've found all of the cheapest prices currently on offer for standard speed internet and BT Infinity fibre broadband - just pop in your postcode above and we'll do the rest. And if you want more than just broadband, we'll show you the best phone and television deals, too. Down the page, we'll answer some commonly asked questions about BT internet.

BT broadband packages compared - which is the best for me?

All BT broadband deals now feature unlimited data allowances. So the main choice you'll face with BT is what speed to go for. Standard ADSL broadband gives speeds of up to 17Mb which will probably give you a max download speed of around 2MB per second. Upgrade to BT Infinity - the company's fibre optic offering - and you can choose between 52Mb and a super fast 76Mb.

After that, you can pay more to add home phone options and a TV subscription - although you may find some package bargains around Black Friday time. The latter includes a YouView box and access to the BT TV package of your choice - more on which below.

BT Unlimited Broadband
BT's most affordable broadband offer gives up to 17Mb speed - that's just over 2MB per second. That should still be plenty fast enough to let you browse the web, stream music and watch interruption-free catch-up TV. But it may struggle to cope with larger households all using the internet at once. BT Unlimited Broadband includes:

Up to 17Mb speed

BT Home Hub 4 router

100GB of BT cloud storage

BT Virus Protect for two devices

BT Unlimited Infinity 1
If fibre broadband is available where you live and you have a few extra pounds to spare a month, we'd recommend cranking up the speed to BT's least expensive Infinity deal. At 52Mb (roughly 6.5MB/s), it's got the legs to seamlessly deliver HD video and fast downloads, even when there are a few of you using it. BT Unlimited Infinity 1 includes:

Up to 52Mb speed

BT Smart Hub

100GB of BT cloud storage

BT Virus Protect for two devices

BT Unlimited Infinity 2
If you demand extremely fast downloads and stream 4K films and TV, then BT's fastest broadband (76Mb) is well worth considering - especially if you've got a bustling household all trying to log in at once. It's pricey, but BT sweetens the deal with some added extras. BT Unlimited Infinity 2 includes:

Up to 76Mb speed

BT Smart Hub

500GB of BT cloud storage

BT Virus Protect for 15 devices

What BT router will I get?

BT throws in a router for free (although you'll have to pay for the delivery). The quality of router you receive will depend on the package you choose.

BT Home Hub Go for standard BT Unlimited Broadband and you'll get the basic Home Hub 4. You've probably seen it sneakily peering at you from around corners in the homes of umpteen friends and families, although its dimensions are sleek enough that you should be able to stow it somewhere subtle without too much trouble. As well as wi-fi, you can also connect to it via an ethernet cable. It's perfectly functional, but doesn't have the same strength as the...

BT Smart Hub Pay £65 extra or upgrade to BT Infinity and you'll receive the more powerful Smart Hub. BT claims that it gives out the UK's most powerful wi-fi signal among the routers sent out by other major providers. Handy if you live in a big house or like to use your phone or laptop out in the garden.

Alternatively, you can stick with your existing router. But unless you've shelled out a lot for your current model, you're probably better off swallowing the delivery charge and using the BT Home Hub or Smart Hub. That way, if anything goes wrong, you'll be able to use their tech support.

How long will the contract be?

Take BT broadband, and you'll be tied into a 12 month contract. After that, your monthly cost will go up by around a tenner. To encourage you to hang around, you can't use your BT router with any other broadband provider so you'll need to pay for a new one when you move on.

Are there any BT broadband AND TV deals?

There are three TV packages that you can add to your BT internet package, but you'll need to sign up for 12 months:

Starter BT is chucking in its Starter TV package if you get Infinity - which includes 80 channels, together with BT's entry-level YouView box. It costs extra if you go for standard broadband.

Entertainment Plus You can splash out an extra few quid a month for BT's Entertainment Plus package. This includes 110 channels and a YouView+ box to record up to 300 hours.

Total Entertainment If you're totally addicted to films and box sets, then it may be worth spending £15-ish a month on Total Entertainment. This is a must if you have a 4K TV, as BT throws in its YouView+ Ultra HD box. It can record 600 hours of video to help you keep abreast of the 141 channels it gives you access to.

What about BT Sport?

Until recently, BT Sport came free with every BT internet plan. That's come to an end now...you'll have to pay an extra £3.50 a month to get access to Premier League football, Ashes cricket, top-flight rugby union and exclusive UFC action. Keep your eyes peeled however, as BT does run the occasional promotion where you can still get BT Sport for free.

Can I make calls from a landline?

You can indeed. No matter which BT broadband package you opt for, you get a landline phone number with unlimited weekend calls to other UK landlines. If you prefer nattering in the evening you can pay extra for unlimited landline calls between 7pm and 7am. While more still lets you make as many landline calls as you want at any time of the day. You'll be covered by free BT Call Protect as well, which will help to halt nuisance calls.

Can I add BT Mobile?

To goad you into bringing all your devices over to BT, it's offering £5 a month off your monthly mobile phone tariff. BT Mobile has deals on all the biggest and newest handsets, including iPhones and Samsung Galaxys. In particular, that makes BT pretty competitive when it comes to SIM only deals.

What is BT cloud storage?

If you find yourself running out of storage space on your phone, tablet or laptop or want to back up your files, BT has its own cloud storage solution. With BT Unlimited Broadband and Infinity 1, you'll get 100GB - that's enough room for around 25,000 songs, 140 films or 100,000 photos. It's 500GB if you go for Infinity 2, which should be sufficient to store the music and photo collections of you and your family.

What is BT Virus Protect?

All BT broadband packages include BT's internet security tool, BT Virus Protect. As well as promising to vanquish viruses, it features BT Web Protect to flag phishing scams, BT Parental Controls to help you limit the websites your children can see and True Key for easy management of your passwords. As well as your main computer, you can apply BT Virus Protect to one other laptop, phone or tablet if you go for Broadband Unlimited or Infinity 1. While Infinity 2 lets you protect up to 15 devices. We still think you should get dedicated internet security however - check out our pick of the best antivirus software.

What's a BT wi-fi hotspot?

BT has dotted five million wi-fi hotspots around the UK and 18 million around the globe. As a BT Broadband customer, you'll have access to every one of them. So if you're on your laptop in a cafe or checking maps on your phone and see that BT Wi-fi is available, you can jump on for free.

Are there any other perks to getting BT broadband?

As well as the discounted mobile tariffs and cut price BT Sport, BT is luring in new customers with a BT Reward Card. This online exclusive means you can claim a prepaid Mastercard cash card if you sign up to BT Broadband.

The sum on the Reward Card changes regularly, but is usually in excess of £50 -
and sometimes as much as £150. The amount on the card is always more with one of the BT Infinity packages.

Is BT broadband any good?

BT relies a lot on its enduring reputation as the most recognisable name in telecommunications, and it remains the most widely used broadband provider in the UK. But that doesn't necessarily equate to quality. Although it can offer competitive prices and bespoke internet, phone and TV packages, it often sits at the bottom of the list when it comes to customer satisfaction surveys.

How to use the BT broadband checker?

Much like our postcode checker above, BT has its own broadband checker. Pop in your address and phone number and it will let you know what speeds you can expect with BT internet and whether its Infinity broadband is available in your area. If fibre isn't yet available, you can sign up to BT's mailing list so that they'll give you a shout when the cables have been installed.

How do I contact the BT broadband helpline?

If you need help with your broadband or set-up, BT doesn't exactly make it easy for you to speak to them on the phone. It seems to prefer for you to go through its online support. But if you're determined to speak to a human, there is a 24/7 number available. Dial 0800-111-4567 if you're using a landline in the UK, 0330-123-4567 from your mobile or +44179-359-6931 if you're out of the country.

]]>The best Virgin broadband deals in December 2017http://www.techradar.com/news/virgin-broadband-deals
http://www.techradar.com/news/virgin-broadband-dealsFind out if Virgin broadband is available in your area - and how much it costs to buy...Tue, 12 Dec 2017 06:30:21 +0000techradar.comVirgin Media led the way in the introduction of fast fibre broadband to the UK. The likes of BT, Sky and TalkTalk now offer competing services, but Virgin Fibre is still the fastest you can get.

After using TechRadar's postcode tool to see if Virgin is available where you live, you can check our comparison table to discover how much you'll need to pay for Virgin broadband, phone and TV packages. We'll get you the very best broadband deal for your home - you can now get it for less than £30 thanks to Virgin's VIVID 50 plan. But prices have recently gone up, making it more important than ever to use our comparison chart to bag the best price.

Virgin Media broadband only deals

Virgin Fibre's USP is its super fast broadband speeds. Using only cables there's no such thing as cheap Virgin Media broadband, but even its least expensive broadband only plan gives speeds of up 50Mb - that's faster than anything that the likes of Sky and Plusnet can offer, and you may see it cheaper still around Black Friday 2017.

VIVID 50 fibre broadbandThanks to its dazzling speeds and independent cabling, Virgin Media's broadband has traditionally been more expensive than its competitors. But the recently launched VIVID 50 tariff now brings the monthly price down under £30 per month. Considering you'll be getting 50Mb speed (equivalent to 6.25MB per second), that's a very nice price.

VIVID 100 fibre broadband
No longer the cheapest Virgin fibre deal on the block, you'll need to pay over £30 to get Virgin's second lowest broadband tariff. But you're unlikely to feel too shortchanged with the connection speeds. The 100Mb claimed speed translates to 12.5 MB per second - you shouldn't be frustrated with any buffering, even when a few of you are streaming content at the same time.

VIVID 200 fibre broadband
As Virgin proudly points out, VIVID 200 more than doubles the maximum speed supplied by BT Infinity and Sky Fibre's fastest speed. The ultrafast 200Mb speed is a good fit if you stream 4K films and if there are 10 or so devices connected at once. And like all of Virgin's broadband offerings, it's completely unlimited - you can download and stream as much as you wish.

VIVID 200 Gamer
There's more than just the 'boss-level broadband' tagline that should appeal to gamers about this fibre package. Pay an extra fiver from the standard VIVID 200 to bag up to 20Mb upload speeds - handy for online gaming. And you don't have to worry about online traffic management that can slow you down at peak times.

VIVID 300 fibre broadband
Home broadband speeds in the UK don't come faster than those provided by Virgin's VIVID 300 fibre plan, and no other provider comes anywhere even close. It costs almost £50 a month, but you get speeds of up to 37.5MB per second. That's extremely rapid.

How much is a Virgin Media bundle with broadband and TV?

To entice you in, Virgin has some broadband and TV bundles with an attractive price tag for the first year:

Player bundle Virgin's basic bundle adds 70+ TV channels, weekend calls, Sky On Demand and a brand new 500GB TiVo box to the VIVID 100 broadband plan - and for the first 12 months it won't cost you a penny more. It rises significantly after the first year.

Mix bundle The Mix bundle more than doubles the amount of channels you get with the Player bundle, adding the likes of Sky 1, Sky Sports News and Sky Living. Plus, you get upgraded to the Virgin TV V6 box, which allows you to record up to six channels at once until you fill the 1TB storage.

Fun bundle Around an extra tenner a month adds a bunch of children's channels to the Mix. As well as Nickelodeon channels and Cartoon Network, you get Discovery, too.

Full House bundle If you're happy to part with more than £50 a month for your broadband and TV, Virgin's Full House bundle combines the VIVID 200 fibre broadband package with more than 245 TV channels. There's good news for sports fans - the extra channels include BT Sport 1, 2 and 3. And there are included box sets if drama's more your thing.

VIP bundle With the VIP bundle Virgin rolls out the red carpet. As well as premium TV channels such as all the Sky Sports and Sky Cinema offerings, Virgin also throws in a second Virgin TV V6 box. That means you can record up to 12 channels at once with 2TB of storage - enough for around 1,000 hours of TV. Ideal for large families.

Can I get a phone line with Virgin Media broadband?

You can indeed - and the good news is that you can keep the phone number you previously had with your BT phone line.

The starting cost is roughly the same as a Virgin broadband only plan for the first 12 months, and then goes up after the first year. That includes unlimited weekend calls to landlines and numbers on Virgin Mobile.

After that, you can start adding extra talk time to your plan. A little extra a month gets you Talk More Weekends, which adds all UK mobiles to your allowance. Talk More Evenings and Weekends allows calls to any UK number after 7pm on weekday evenings, while Talk More Anytime gives you as many calls as you like at any time of day.

Got friends or family abroad? A further upgrade allows calls to 30 international locations - including Australia, Canada and the USA - as part of the Talk More International Anytime plan.

Do I have to pay anything up front for Virgin broadband?

Yes, but not a lot. No matter which Virgin Media broadband package you choose, you'll have to pay a one-off £20 activation fee.

How long will my Virgin Media contract be?

The standard Virgin broadband contract is for 12 months, after which your monthly price may be subject to change.

But if you're a commitment-phobe, you can choose to go on a flexible 30 day rolling contract instead. The only downside is that you have to pay £65 upfront for the privilege.

How do I contact the Virgin Media helpline?

You can call 0345-4545-1111 to speak to one of Virgin's customer advisers, or 150 from a Virgin phone. But that's only between 8am and 10pm - outside of those times you'll have to rely on the company's online support pages.

]]>The best CDNs of 2018http://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-cdns-of-2018
http://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-cdns-of-2018From personal blogs to big business websites, there's a CDN (content delivery network) for everyone.Sat, 09 Dec 2017 10:00:02 +0000techradar.comContent delivery networks (CDNs) work to accelerate almost any website by caching its files in servers around the world. Whether your visitors come from Europe, North America, Asia or anywhere else, content is automatically served from the nearest location for the fastest possible speeds.

If you're new to the technology then it might seem intimidating, and there's no doubt that prices can be high, but don't let that put you off. CDNs aren't just for massive corporations. You can set up the simplest services in less than five minutes, and if you choose your plan wisely, it might not cost you anything at all.

Whatever your website, from a simple blog to a sprawling site for a big business, we've chosen five of the best services around to help point you in the right direction. If you find anything that looks interesting, give it a try – you can explore many of these CDNs for free, without handing over payment details or signing up for any contract.

CDNSun is a likeable Czech-based provider which offers a high-end and professional CDN for low-end, beginner-friendly prices.

The service doesn't skimp on features. There's support for multiple CDN types, including origin pull, origin push and Wowza-powered video streaming. The network has more than 70 locations across five continents, twice the size of many competitors. Detailed real-time reports keep you up-to-date on performance, and you can optionally download the raw logs to run further analyses.

It's all very configurable. Do you want to play with query strings, password-protect content, limit hot-linking, maybe filter requests by country or IP? Everything is just a click or two away.

All this power may seem scary if you're a CDN newbie, but it's simpler than it seems. The web interface is a little cluttered, but smartly laid out and easy-to-use once you've learned the basics. Just about every detail is explained by the in-depth help system, and there are loads of great tutorials which show you how to integrate the service with your CMS or web application.

Best of all, there's no monthly fee and no minimum traffic level. Factor in the 20GB of free storage and you can spend plenty of time testing CDNSun for almost no cost at all.

Cloudflare is a hugely popular American content delivery service which combines novice-friendly ease of use with expert-level features and functionality.

Setup is simple, with no need to edit your code. Just update your DNS nameservers to use Cloudflare and the service kicks in automatically, caching content and serving it to visitors from their nearest location.

But there's much, much more. Web filtering can block bots, limit content spam, keep you safe from hackers or detect and mitigate DDoS attacks. Smart image optimizations can reduce image file sizes by up to 35%, further improving speeds. There's wide support for standards like IPv6, HTTP/2 and SPDY, clever page rules to help you manipulate traffic, and a REST API allows developers to take full control of what the service is doing.

Cloudflare's free plan allows you to see what the service can do, without making any commitments. It's very usable, with unlimited bandwidth and no annoying restrictions to try and force you to upgrade.

Upgrading to the Pro plan costs a reasonable $20 (£16) a month, and adds the image optimization rules, extra configurability and improved support.

Whatever you choose, Cloudflare delivers great performance. As we write, the benchmarking site CDNPerf ranks Cloudflare at first place for worldwide HTTP request response times out of a field of 20 top CDNs.

Founded in 2011 to support online gaming, Luxembourg-based G-Core Labs now offers high-end managed hosting packages and a comprehensive enterprise-level CDN.

The service specs are good, with more than 50 locations, origin pull and push options, HTTP/2 and IPv6 support, and a complex but hugely powerful system for customizing operations with your own rules. There are lots of tweaks and settings available, and detailed reports keep you up-to-date with the action.

This isn't a product for everyone, as the pricing scheme makes very obvious with its minimum charge of $250 (£200) a month. But that does get you a gigantic 5TB bandwidth allowance, making the ‘per GB’ price only $0.05 (£0.04), around half the cost of some of the high-end competition.

G-Core doesn't use sneaky tricks to bump up your bills, either. You don't pay extra for requests, or transfers from premium regions. Overage rates are the same $0.05 per GB, and importantly, there's no limit on the number of domains it can support. Use G-Core on several sites and it might work out cheaper than you think.

Could this be the service for you? G-Core provides a free demo account which allows you to browse the web console with some dummy data. To give it a try, visit the Login page, click the Sign Up For Free link, then click View Demo Account.

KeyCDN is an easy-to-use budget CDN that might be a good pick for first-time users.

Getting started couldn't be much simpler. Sign up with your email address and you get an immediate 25GB to play with, no payment details required. A well-designed web dashboard enables creating your first zone with the minimum of clicks, and there are guides to help you integrate the service with WordPress and other apps.

More experienced users will appreciate options like Origin Shield – this allows you to specify a KeyCDN server to be the source for updates rather than the origin, reducing your server load. You're able to manipulate headers, cache or strip cookies, or set up a custom robots.txt. Once the service is running, a capable set of reporting tools enable watching CDN performance in near real-time.

KeyCDN's standout feature has to be its low prices. Bandwidth charges start at $0.04 (£0.032) per GB, less than half the price you'll pay with some of the high-end competition. The minimum charge is a tiny $49 (£39) a year. (Yes, really – a year.) The company doesn't even try to cash in on the extras, for example offering shared SSL and custom Let's encrypt SSL certificates for free.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, these low prices don't get you leading-edge performance, but there's still plenty of power here and you do get a lot for your money.

MetaCDN is an Australian company which combines the CDNs of Amazon Cloudfront, Fastly and Verizon's EdgeCast into a single speedy service.

Why? It's all about performance. When a visitor accesses your site, MetaCDN has three networks and more than 120 locations to choose from – way more than anyone else. In other words, there’s a much greater chance any visitor will have a server near them.

This matters because every CDN delivers its best performance in different areas. EdgeCast scores highly in North America, for instance, but Fastly is quicker in the UK. MetaCDN automatically chooses the best network for every visitor's location, giving you the best of all worlds.

This approach does have a catch. When you sign up with a single CDN, you can get access to all its individual settings and options, but combining three means you only get settings which apply to all of them (for obvious reasons). Which essentially means MetaCDN has barely any configuration options at all. (Check the Support site to get a rough feel for how the system works.)

Still, MetaCDN is nicely user-friendly and it could be a good pick if speed is your top priority. Pricing is complicated and there's a $50 (£40) minimum monthly charge, although that's not bad for access to enterprise-level CDNs.

]]>Best movies on Amazon Prime (December 2017): 100 films to stream on Prime Videohttp://www.techradar.com/news/best-movies-on-amazon-prime
http://www.techradar.com/news/best-movies-on-amazon-primeAmazon Prime isn't just about TV, there are some brilliant movies on the service too. Here's our pick. Fri, 08 Dec 2017 21:32:40 +0000techradar.comWelcome to our list of the best movies on Amazon Prime Video UK. As we are TechRadar we don’t do things by half, so what you have over the course of this gallery is almost 100 movies that are now available to stream on Amazon Video - the movies and TV streaming section of Amazon Prime.

[Update: One of the best comedies of the year has arrived on Amazon Prime - the fantastic Mindhorn. A pastiche of '80s cops shows, the film is a little British gem. And if you fancy matching it with something else, the definitely check our Free Fire, too - both of which earn a place in our best movies on Amazon Prime list].

To help you make the best selection, we have put everything into categories so if you are a horror fan, love a bit of romance or want a tense thriller, you will find the perfect movie for you.

Having gone through the entire Amazon Prime Video catalogue in the UK we have to admit that the movie selection is - whisper it - better than what you find on Netflix.

There are a few gems on here that have only just come off of their cinema run and are already ready to stream. Couple this with a brilliant array of stone-cold classics and you have an impressive and varied list of films.

It's great to see Amazon embrace movies in this way, so dive in and we hope you find something you like!

A once-famous actor in the '80s tries to resurrect his career in Mindhorn, a superb pastiche of cop shows of old. Julian Barrett is on top form as the titular Mindhorn, whose desperate attempt to become relevant again means he unwittingly finds himself in a murder investigation on the Richard Thorncroft

Set in Boston in the late '70s, Free Fire is a fantastic, inventive film that mostly takes place in a warehouse. Because of the limited scenario, it's thanks to Ben Wheatley's effortless and stylish direction and the superb ensemble cast - and lots and lots of gun play - that Free Fire never becomes boring.

If you don't know the film you almost certainly recognize its villain's theme song. Steven Spielberg's 1975 thriller about a man-eating giant white shark that's terrorizing the residents of a New England town and the team looking to stop it has become a timeless horror classic.

If you enjoyed the recent remake of Stephen King classic IT, then you're probably not against seeing the cinematic adaptions of the rest of his works. The Shining should be at the top of your list. Directed by Stanley Kubrik with Jack Nicholson in the starring role, this is an iconic horror about a man who takes his family to an isolated Colorado hotel in a desperate attempt to cure his writer's block.

One of Quentin Tarrantino's early works, Reservoir Dogs has been cemented as an independent and cult classic about a group of thieves and a diamond heist that goes terribly wrong. With an all-star cast that includes Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, and Harvey Keitel this is a crime thriller that you should take the opportunity to cross off your must-watch list.

We know you know Gremlins. This is the film that tells the story of a young man who receives a Furby-like creature as a pet and fails to follow every instruction with regards to its care. What results is an army of destructive, evil Gremlins set on destroying a small town at Christmas. It's a festive classic.

Kathryn Bigelow is one of the best action directors around, so it’s no surprise that The Hurt Locker won her the Best Director award at the Oscars - the first time a women has won the accolade. What is surprising, though, is just how nuanced the film is. Given it’s about disposing of bombs, the tension is in the quiet moments, rather that when the explosions start.

Back when Marvel was stumbling its movies and DC were winning with the Batman franchise, Blade appeared and proved that there was worth in comic-book movies. An ultraviolent, ultra-fun take on the Marvel comic of the same name, Wesley Snipes is perfect as Blade - the day walking vampire hunter that just happens to be a vampire himself. Director Stephen Norrington creates some superb set pieces - the shower of blood club scene near the beginning of the movie is fantastic - but it's Snipes who keeps the wheels on this blood-drenched flick.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E is by no means a faithful adaption of the TV show of the same name (the characters remain but everything else has changed) but it is a super-stylish crime caper from Guy Ritchie. It looks great, thanks to its '60s setting, and the cast are superb. Henry Cavill (a Brit playing an American CIA agent) finally shows the world the charisma he lacks as Superman, while Armie Hammer (an American playing a Russian) is fantastic as Cavill's KGB opposite. Alicia Vikander (a swede playing a German) shows off her funny side, while Elizabeth Debicki (a french woman playing someone who is not French) is great as the villain of the piece. It's a tad overlong and convoluted but a great, underrated watch.

Mad Max: Fury Road has no right to be as good as it is. The signs weren't good before release. It was stuck in development Hell for years, then lead actor Tom Hardy was quoted in saying that he was frustrated during the shoot as he didn't quite understand director George Miller's vision. But he needn't have worried. Yes, Fury Road is one big set piece, but what a set piece: it's a car chase to end all car chases, followed by another car chase to end all car chases. Miller has created a wonderful, strange movie that is a riveting watch and one that stands toe to toe with The Road Warrior as the best Mad Max film.

Edge of Tomorrow - or Live Die Repeat, the name the posters seemed to take to calling it - is one of the best sci-fi movies in recent years. Tom Cruise is on top form as Lt. Col. Bill Cage, a soldier stuck in a time loop that forces him to live the same suicide mission over and over again. Cruise forgoes his usual confident swagger to portray a man way out of his depth, while Emily Blunt is the biggest badass in a film that’s full of them.

Before David Ayer was assembling a Suicide Squad and creating one of the most abysmal comic-book movies ever, he made this highly original film that’s shot documentary style and focuses on a couple of cops whose job it is to patrol South Central LA and keep the peace. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña are superb as the pair who risk life and limb to do their job. Given Ayer grew up on streets not dissimilar to what’s being portrayed in the movie, End of Watch is a searing and honest portrayal of an area of America few would dare venture.

Norway isn’t renowned for its disaster movies, but with The Wave and Troll Hunter it is making a decent name for itself. The Wave is about a tsunami that hits the country when a Norwegian fjord collapses. Given the relatively low budget, not much disaster is actually seen. Instead we are let to deal with the individuals who are trying to survive the wave. As disaster movies go, this is one of the more interesting to watch.

Some will see Dead Man as a monochrome meditative masterpiece about death and the journey you go on once things end, others will find it a pretentious load of old twaddle. We are definitely in the former camp. Jim Jarmusch’s oddest film - in a group of frankly odd films - sees Johnny Depp as William Blake, an accountant on the run after murdering a man. The plot is based around a series of people Blake meets and the changes we see in Blake the further he goes on his journey. The film is full of second guesses and open to interpretation but Jarmusch also piles on the humour, especially when things looks as if they are getting a bit too dark.

Once again, Daniel Radcliffe proves he's more than Harry Potter in this off the wall film where he stars alongside Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood). Emotional, humorous and more than a little weird, this film tells the story of Hank (Dano) who has become stranded on a deserted island. Just as he's giving up hope of ever leaving a corpse named Manny (Radcliffe) washes up on shore, befriends him and takes him on a wild adventure.

Nicolas Winding Refn makes it hard for you to love his films. While he won new followers with the sublime Drive, he tries to shake a few of them away with the follow up, Only God Forgives. This monosyllabic slice of machismo and revenge looks amazing but is a tough watch. Its scenes are slow, almost meandering. The dialogue is sparse and curt, and the violence when it comes is sudden and extreme. Give it your time and patience, though, and you’ll be rewarded with an unnerving, slick and sinister movie.

After proving himself as one of the greatest music video directors - making videos for Daft Punk, Bjork and Massive Attack - Michel Gondry also showed himself as a fantastic feature filmmaker, with Eternal Sunshine. The plot is light sci-fi - a couple who have fallen out of love go to get their memories of each other erased. By losing these memories, the former lovers, played beautifully by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet start to remember why they loved each other. Visually, the film is highly original but it’s the romance of the movie that endures.

Helmed by two visionary French directors Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Delicatessen is a surreal black comedy that’s based in a strange post apocalypse where food is scarce. The story surrounds a mysterious delicatessen on the bottom floor of a run-down apartment block. Delicatessen is full of larger than life, grotesque characters, a Gilliam-esque feel and some brilliant humour and romance. Jeunet went on to reach global success with Amelie.

Quentin Tarantino goes back to his roots with Hateful Eight. The look of the film may well be wildly different from Reservoir Dogs - it’s set deep in a Wyoming winter - but it’s a similar 'movie in one room' scenario. Hateful Eight has some stunning visuals but it’s all about the dialogue. Shots are fired but it’s the verbal intercourse that takes place before the violence that’s a joy to behold.

Ben Wheatley is a great British director. His films are always off-kilter, so it made sense that he would try to adapt High Rise, an ‘unfilmable’ book by JG Ballard. Tom Hiddleston stars as Laing, the newest occupant of a tower block that’s a microcosm of society as a whole. There’s plenty of drugs, sex and a smattering of murder. As for the plot - try not to understand it too much and just enjoy the rambunctious ride.

Director Nicolas Winding Refn’s most accessible film is also his best. Ryan Gosling is the silent stunt driver turned getaway driver who ends up getting embroiled in a violent gangland dispute. The film oozes cool, from its garish visuals to its electronic soundtrack and is a feast for the eyes and ears - it’s also punctuated by some stunning, visceral violence.

Todd Solondz is one director that doesn’t mind tackling some of the most controversial, degrading and downright embarrassing situations humans can find themselves in. He continues this theme with Wiener-Dog - a movie dipped in dysfunction that’s split into four parts - each part telling the story of the owner of a wiener-dog. It’ll make you laugh, and some characters from Welcome To The Dollhouse make a welcome return, but you’ll feel uncomfortable throughout.

Jim Jarmusch has always been eclectic in his film choices. Whether it’s meditations on death (Dead Man), Eastern philosophy (Ghost Dog) or, er, vampirism (Only Lovers Left Alive), his take on the storytelling is always unique. In Paterson he has created a heartwarming movie about a day in someone’s life. That someone happens to be called Paterson and lives in Paterson. Adam Driver is great as the central character - his slow burn acting style suits a film that’s almost laid back in its storytelling.

Tobey Maguire plays American chess legend Bobby Fischer in this dramatic biographical film. It follows the true story of the 1972 World Chess Championship when the troubled genius Fischer battled Soviet Grandmaster Boris Spassky, played by Liev Schreiber. Perfect if you're looking for a gripping Cold War drama.

Jackie is all about Natalie Portman. Her portrayal of Jackie Kennedy, days after the assassination of her husband and president of the United States John F Kennedy, is a masterclass of acting. She has studied footage of Jackie and got her mannerisms and speech imprint spot on. The film is a stark and intimate look and the former First Lady and is a rollercoaster of emotions. It's endlessly watchable and it's all because of Portman who earned (and subsequently missed out on) a well-deserved Best Actress Oscar nomination.

Martin Scorsese has been in the movie business long enough to do whatever he wants. Silence is his him at his most uncompromising. A difficult sell after the fleeting fun that was Wolf of Wall Street, Silence is a meditative, hard-to-watch movie about pilgrimage. Starring Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver as two monks who go on a journey to find a place where Christians are put to extremes to prove their love for god. It's a trying movie and one that takes the utmost concentration. It's not quite the masterpiece Scorsese was seeking, given he's been mulling the story for decades but it's a worthy, if meandering watch.

Moonlight is stunning film. Split into three parts, the movie charts the life of Chiron, a black man growing up in Miami. It's heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure and just so happens to be the lowest-ever budgeted movie that has won the Best Picture Oscar. While the acting is superb in all three of the sections - it's the storytelling that really shines and shimmers here. It's captivating, brooding stuff.

It's hard not to write about Manchester By The Sea without stepping into spoiler territory so here's the broad strokes: Casey Affleck stars as a Boston janitor who has to take care of his brother's son after his brother dies. What ensues is a heartbreaking movie. Its backdrop is a snowy Manchester in Massachusetts, something that echoes the characters in the movie. This isn't a film that wraps up neatly in a bow in the end - it's much more closer to fractured, complicated business that is real life.

Lion sounds like a movie that's been manufactured for awards season but it's much cleverer than that. It's based on the true story of Saroo Brierley, a child from India separated from his family when he was just five years old and adopted by a couple from Tasmania. The story follows Saroo in his younger years then flips to him as an adult on the lookout for his real parents. Dev Patel is brilliant as the adult who goes on a journey to find out his true heritage. While it all sounds a little melodramatic, it really isn't - director Garth Davis of Top Of The Lake fame manages to make a movie that's not too overly dramatic but really rather moving.

Some 40 films into his career, you would expect director Ken Loach's talents to be on the wane but I, Daniel Blake may well be his masterpiece. It's a superb study of the class system in the UK, and what happens when someone tries to be a better person despite bureaucracy stopping them from doing just that. Yes, it's political but Loach doesn't play this part of it up - it just naturally seeps through because of the frustrations the film presents. Essential stuff.

The Impossible is what Tom Holland was doing before he became Spider-Man, starring in a true tale about the devastating tsunami in Thailand. He is one of three sons of Naomi Watts and Ewen McGregor's characters and part of a compelling character study of what happens to people with natural disasters strike. Director JA Bayona proved he is a talent to look out for with The Impossible. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which he is helming in 2018, should cement that fact.

Brie Larson stars in this heartfelt study of human endurance. Larson is Ma. She has been imprisoned in a small shed for years, having to bring up her little boy Jack (a great Jacob Tremblay) in isolation. The film follows their story to the bittersweet end. For a film that’s mostly shot within the confines of a small room, director Lenny Abrahamson manages to eek out pathos in the mundane but it’s the acting of the two leads that’s the real reason to watch the heart-rending movie.

Apocalypse Now is a rare gem of a movie. Born out of chaos, where leading actors had to be replaced, medical problems blighted the shoot and Marlon Brando went somewhat off piste, it’s a miracle there was any film at all to show for the shoot, let alone one of the greatest movies ever made. Based loosely on Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, the film follows a soldier’s descent into hell as he tries to track down the elusive Colonel Kurtz, a decorated war veteran who has seemingly gone mad. From the amazing visuals, to the sweeping score, to the acting chops of the main cast, Apocalypse Now is a terrifying masterclass in filmmaking.

John LeCarre’s superb spy novel is given a decent adaptation, thanks to Let Me In director Tomas Alfredson’s measured, careful take on the source material. Gary Oldman is superb as George Smiley, the veteran spy catcher brought out of retirement to find an Russian mole in the ranks of the MI6. Even if you know who the mole is, the way the film unfurls this information is utterly captivating.

A deserved winner of the Best Film Oscar, Spotlight is a searing look at investigative journalism at its finest - trying to uncover the truth of child abuse within the Roman church. The film is a true testament to real journalism and throws shade at online clickbait and its erosion of proper investigative news gathering. Oh.

Another Oscar winner seemingly grown in a petri dish for the sole purpose to win awards, The King's Speech is one man's struggle to get over a speech impediment and subsequent fear of public speech - it just so happens this man is also the king of England. For all its faults, it tugs on the right strings and is very watchable.

The Russian roulette scene may be what most people think of when someone chats about Deer Hunter but the movie has so much more to offer. It shows the horrors of war during and after the Vietnam conflict, shining a light on what a situation like that does to a person and their relationships. It's a gruelling but sometimes beautiful watch.

What started off as a failed TV pilot ended up being one of David Lynch’s most accomplished films. As with any Lynch movie describing the plot won't do Mulholland Drive justice. What starts off as a portrayal of a woman seeking fame in Hollywood ends up being a nightmarish look at the duality of personality and what happens when reality turns into a fever dream.

It’s great to see Viggo Mortensen back as a leading man and Captain Fantastic suits his eclectic sensibilities down to the ground. It’s a film about a family of homeschooled children who have lived off-grid with their eccentric parents. When their mother dies, they come back to civilisation with a bump. Mortensen is superb as the grizzled patriarch and the casting of the kids is spot on. In a film full of surprises, perhaps the most surprising thing about Captain Fantastic is its writer-director Matt Ross. He plays Gavin Belson in Silicon Valley!

Even when Christopher Nolan missteps, he still manages to hide the stumble with a highly orchestrated dance routine. Interstellar is overblown and weighed down by its own importance but, boy, is it an epic watch. Matthew McConaughey stars as Cooper, a farmer and former test pilot who helps on a mission to save the people of Earth, which is ravaged by lack of land resource. The mission involves going to space and entering a wormhole and exploring a new planet that may have the means for sustaining human life. The film falls in on itself as it nears its conclusion but it’s a bold, measured ride into the unknown with some of the best visuals Nolan has created. Just don’t go expecting a masterpiece, however.

Like aliens and whiteboards? Get you a movie that can do both. Arrival was an astonishing science fiction film, released towards the end of 2016, and making its way to Amazon Prime Video before it's even landed on cable or satellite TV in the UK.

Based on the novella 'Stories of Your Life' by Ted Chiang, and directed by Sicario director Denis Villeneuve (whose next task will be the long-awaited sequel to Blade Runner), it's a fantastic film exploring love, loss, communication and the lengths we should all be prepared to go to in order to understand, accept and value the differences between us.

One of the more interesting sci-fi movies of the past decade and a huge reason why director Rian Johnson got the Star Wars: Episode VIII gig. Looper focuses on the timey wimey tale of a bunch of hitmen, whose job it is to send people from the future into the past to kill them. Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are superb in the film, which manages to take complex ideas and boil them down into an entertaining popcorn thriller.

Star Wars alumni John Boyega got his first break on this great UK indie, as did newly instated Doctor Who Jodie Whittaker. Attack The Block is the first movie by Joe Cornish - of Adam and Joe fame - and it’s an absolute corker. Aliens have come to earth to wreak havoc and it’s down to a South London gang to make sure their neighbourhood doesn’t become a disaster zone. Full of warm wit and fantastic humour - not to mention some startling special effects - the movie mashes together a number of genres together and has a whole lot of fun doing it.

They Live sees John Carpenter at his most political and fiendish. On the face of it, it’s a film about a drifter who finds a pair of sunglasses that, when worn, shows him that aliens have taken over the world’s population and the government is trying to control everyone with subliminal messaging. But it’s all allegory. An allegory that holds strong today, with the current situation in US politics and fake news - that people’s views are being manipulated even if they don’t think they are. Carpenter took a big gamble casting wrestler Roddy Piper in the movie but it pays off.

You wait years for a sci-fi movie that’s influenced by Groundhog Day to come along and then two appear at once. Yes, Source Code has a similar time-repeating plot to Edge of Tomorrow but it’s less bombastic and more thoughtful in its approach. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as the soldier who only has eight minutes to stop a bomber on a busy train, before time resets and he has to do the whole thing again. Duncan Jones does well in the director seat, managing to make a plot device that could grow old rather quick really work.

Gareth Evans has had a such a meteoric rise in Hollywood, it’s a wonder he doesn’t start the day with altitude sickness. After his no-budget movie Monsters was a modest hit, he was chosen to reboot Godzilla and rid the world of the sour taste of the ’90s film. He does well to add the sense of dread and menace that is in the original Japanese films but there’s just not enough of the monster here to make the movie into a classic. It’s still well worth a watch, though.

It’s by no means a perfect movie, but Legend has two fantastic central performances… both played by Tom Hardy. Hardy is both Ronald and Reggie Kray, the notorious twins that ruled half of London’s underworld in the Sixties. Legend is about their rise and subsequent fall, shot through the lens of Reggie’s relationship with Frances Shea, the ever-brilliant Emily Browning. While Legend doesn’t offer anything different to the, er, legend of the Krays it’s still a brutal and occasionally funny watch.

Describe a movie as erotic and it usually conjures up something that's utterly not sexy like 50 Shades of Grey or the Lego Movie. The Handmaiden, though, is erotic and shimmers as a result. Directed by South Korean's finest, Park Chan-wook, the movie is masterful in its suspense and when sex is shown - and it's a lot of the time - it's used to bolster the characters and the story, rather than for pure titillation. The Handmaiden is yet another new release that's headed to Amazon Prime Video - we're not sure why it keeps getting all these 'just released on Blu-ray' movies but we're happy that it's happening.

Nothing is as it seems in Martin Scorsese's chilling Shutter Island. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a marshal who investigates the disappearance of a patient at Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. The hospital is one renowned for bizarre experiments on its inmates which ups the freaky ante somewhat. Then things get really scary and a lot more obscure when a hurricane cuts the island off from the mainland. This is definitely a film you will want to watch again, probably straight after you watch it the first time.

Stephen Spielberg ratchets up the tension to near breaking point in Munich - a wonderful movies that charts the Black September aftermath. The movie follows the assassin's whose job it was to rid the world of those who created the atrocities that saw a number of Israeli athletes killed at the Munich Olympics in 1972.

It's difficult to talk about Girl On The Train without giving a twisty plot point or two away. So, let's just say that Emma Blunt is great in this tense thriller that does justice to the hugely successful book. The only issue we have is the whole plot has been transposed to an American town. We prefer the distinctly British setting. Other than that, prepared to be both shocked and entertained.

Taylor Sheridan is a man of many talents. Not only has he starred in hit shows such as Sons of Anarchy and Veronica Mars, he's also penned some of the finest thrillers in recent years. First there was the superb Sicario and now Hell Or High Water, for which he was nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar. It's easy to see why, this is a taut, tense film about two brothers who turn to bank robbery to help their family. Starring Chris Pine, Ben Foster and Jeff Bridges, the film is a fast-paced modern take on the Western.

It might be a terrible name, but Eye in The Sky manages to bring kudos back to director Gavin Hood, after his forgettable stab at a superhero movie in Wolverine. Helen Mirren is Colonel Katherine Powell, in charge of a drone operation that has serious implications when innocents become involved in the warfare. Given the film is centred on drone warfare, it’s one of the most pertinent thrillers around at the moment.

Director Atom Egoyan is not one to take the conventional route when telling his tales - and Chloe is no different. Starring Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried and Liam Neeson, it’s about a seemingly normal couple who resort to using a sex worker to test the trust in their relationship. This turns out to be a very bad decision. The film is a remake of the superior French drama Nathalie but it’s a decent thriller that manages to walk the line between gratuity and maturity well.

This is a devastating film. Based on the true events of what is still a recent economic disaster in the US, 99 Homes is about Andrew Garfield’s Dennis Nash, someone whose home faces foreclosure. To make ends meet he starts working for the real estate company - and the villainous Michael Shannon - that caused him and his family to lose his home. It’s a convoluted but brazen look at what can happen to a person when they are on the brink of losing everything.

The original Swedish language version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a faithful adaptation of the book of the same name, even if it does sometimes fall into TV movie territory. Noomi Rapace is brilliant as Lisbeth Salander, the alt-hacker who finds herself in the middle of a 40-year-old missing person’s case. It’s a role that pushed into the Hollywood a-list, and for good reason. Another bonus is that this is the subtitled version - the dubbed version is terrible and been hacked in the edit suite.

Andrea Arnold’s second movie was the one that cemented her as one of the UK’s best filmmakers. Fish Tank stars Katie Jarvis and Michael Fassbender as a teenager and the boyfriend of her mother. An uneasy relationship is struck between them both that goes from bad to worse. This is one of Fassbender’s first starring roles and watching it back, it’s easy to see why he’s such a big star now.

This is most definitely a movie of two halves - in that something significant happens midway through that changes both the pace and tone of the movie considerably. For some, the shift is too much but it really does work. Ryan Gosling plays Luke, a fantastic stunt motorcyclist turned bank robber who’s trying to do the best for his family. Eva Mendes is his estranged partner, while Bradley Cooper crops up as Avery, a good cop that’s trying to make the best out of some terrible situations. Brilliantly acted and expertly told, The Place Beyond The Pines is a powerful movie watching experience.

Richard Ayoade has proved over two feature films that he is a director to watch. While The Double was a fascinating Gilliam-esque comedy thriller, his first movie was much more in keeping with the French New Wave, despite being set in the depths of Wales. It’s set in 1980s Swansea and focuses on the relationship between a teenage loner and a girl who seems to share his passion for doom and gloom. Craig Roberts is fantastic as the loner - a role that won him plaudits and the starring role in Amazon Prime’s fantastic TV show Red Oaks.

While the first Addams Family was a fun but flawed reboot of the old TV show, Addams Family Values is a subversive gem. Comedy sequels are rarely better than the first movie but what Barry Sonnenfeld did with Values was make it far more twisted than anyone expecting. Whether it's cooking strippers alive (Lurch), various attempts by Wednesday and Pugsley to kill their newly born brethren or the constant references to Morticia and Gomez’s sex life it's a whole lot of ooky fun.

As underrated movies go, Goon is pretty much on top of the list. Wrongly brushed aside as another farcical American Pie style movie, because it's got Seann William Scott in it, Goon is much more than that. It's funny, yes, but it's also an affectionate look at the underdog, filled with some pretty big scenes of violence and a number of tender moments too. There's a sequel in the works, which is fantastic news, as Goon is a little-watched gem.

This shouldn't work. Jack Black as a high school teacher teaching kids to play music sounds like it has 'straight to video' written all over it but School of Rock is a whole lot of fun. Director Richard Linklater and writer Mike White take most of the sickly sweet moments out of the movie and leave a fun, riotous movie that is a brilliant showcase of Jack Black's talents. The film has been a big hit since its launch and has recently been turned into a stage production, sans Jack Black though - he's still raking it in through his movies.

This is a superb movie. It's so good that a US remake has already been announced. Toni Erdmann is about an estranged father trying to reconnect with his daughter in a rather bizarre way: by pretending to be her boss's life coach. It's a surreal movie, packed with embarrassing moments and some surprising empathy.

Ted shouldn’t work. It’s a comedy about a man and his childhood toy, which just happens to be alive. That man is the normally dour Mark Whalberg, the toy is voiced by Seth McFarlane and sounds strangely like Peter Griffin in Family Guy. But it does work - it’s occasionally laugh out loud, funny throughout and proves that Whalberg does comedy best when he’s just playing a more earnest version of himself. Unfortunately all of this come untangled in its disappointing sequel, but the original Ted is well worth a watch.

It’s a shame that Chris Morris doesn’t do more stuff as when his new projects come along they always change the game in some way. Four Lions finds humour in one of the most serious subjects: terrorism. For a film shot in 2010, it’s still surprisingly current. It follows docu-style British jihadists who are trying to conjure up a terror plot. The problem is, they’re idiots. Starring, among others, Riz Ahmed, Four Lions is funny, frank and endlessly controversial. But it’s done in such a way that you can’t help but admire the movie.

Wes Anderson's style is so unique that he’s following some of his director heroes - David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick etc - and becoming an adjective. If a film is Wes-like, then it’s filled with childhood wonder, symmetry and quirk. Moonrise Kingdom is packed with all of this and is about two children who escape from a town in the US, only to be tracked down by a search party. It’s a wonderfully innocent movie drenched in melancholy but funny with it. Bruce Willis, Edward Norton and Bill Murray all star but its real stars are the children - played by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward.

It’s a shame that The Thick Of It never hit the big screen. What with Brexit madness and the UK government a mess of contradictions, a movie starring Malcolm Tucker swearing them all into shape is sorely needed. In The Loop is the closest thing we’ve got. It’s a strange movie as it takes strands from The Thick Of It and ports it to the US. This means the film is a hybrid of The Thick of It and the US show Veep. What we do get though is Malcolm Tucker (a never-bettered Peter Capaldi), full of vim and vigor, spinning his way through the choppy waters that is US politics. It’s not perfect, but as satires go it’s one of the most searing.

What do you mean you have never seen Bill? Stop what you are doing and start streaming this right now. Yes, it’s a kid’s movie, but this take on the life of William Shakespeare has been created by the folks behind Horrible Histories, which means it’s as adult a kids’ movie as you can get - packed with hilarity, warm-hearted wit and a big dollop of silly.

It is perhaps fitting that David Brent: Life on the Road isn’t a patch on The Office. Given the utter success of the TV show, this movie charts Brent after his stint at the Wernham Hogg Paper Company in Slough. While it lacks the charm of the show, it is still great to see Gervais as Brent once more. It’s just a shame that Stephen Merchant didn’t have a hand in writing the script - his penmanship is sorely missed.

Rob Reiner's effortless fairy tale film is a modern classic, filled with quotable lines (thanks to a script and book by William Goldman), unforgettable characters and beautiful scenery. It's a meta marvel, with the movie presenting itself as a fairy tale read to a child at his bedtime. The tale of a farmhand named Westley and his companions, who need to rescue Princess Buttercup from the evil Prince Humperdinck, is brought to life by the brilliance of Cary Elwes, Robin Wright and Mandy Patinkin. As well as comedy from Wallace Shawn, André the Giant and Christopher Guest. Yes it's a children's film but there's so many brilliant funny moments that adults will also revel in the magic of The Princess Bride.

For a children's story, A Monster Calls is dark stuff. The story is about a small boy whose mother is ill, and father lives away, so he goes to live with his grandmother who he doesn't get on with. The only person he does get on with is a monster that appears at his bedroom window one night. Liam Neeson is great as the voice of the monster but its Lewis MacDougall as Conor, the little boy who has to deal head-on with loss, that's standout here. As is director JA Bayona who has created a beautiful-looking film that's wrought with sadness.

The BFG is a beautiful movie. It's also a slow movie so even though it's meant to be for children, smaller ones may get a bit bored. Big kids, though, and their parents will love Spielberg's take on one of Roald Dahl's most-loved characters. Using the latest CG techniques it's a wonder to watch- much of this is also to do with the acting talents of Mark Rylance, who plays the titular friendly giant.

When Gore Verbinski set sail for The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise everyone thought we would never see him make an indie film again but then came Rango. A brilliant, subversive animation, Rango is an LSD-tinged Western where all the characters are animals or lizards. Johnny Depp plays Rango, a chameleon who leaves his family home and ends up in the strange town of Dirt. Brilliantly, nutty stuff.

Everyone loves it when Batman meets the Joker but this movie does it with a twist. The Batman that meets the joker here is Terry McGinnis, a new Batman mentored by an ageing Bruce Wayne. McGinnis is equipped with new-fangled tech to make sure the Joker and his gang don’t end up running the city, but it also takes some old-school advice from Bruce Wayne to save the day.

Based on the controversial Death of Superman storyline, this animated movie is all about Doomsday - the hideous creature that puts an end to Superman. Although it’s faithful to the comic-book series from which it is adapted, it is all a little rushed. But great animation and voice talent - Adam Baldwin is superb as Supes and James Marsters is menacing as Lex Luthor - make this film a must watch, especially if you are annoyed with the treatment of Superman in the recent DC movie universe.

When people argue about the best Batman, Kevin Conroy’s name never comes up. But it really really should. He’s been voice acting as Batman for a number of years and one of the best ways to hear his dark, dulcet tones is by watching Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. This animated movie pitched Batman against another masked vigilante - one that wants to bring Gotham City to justice. If that wasn’t enough, The Joker makes an appearance too. The film is a must for those who grew up on Burton’s Batman and had their faith restored with Chris Nolan’s interpretation. If it wasn’t animated, Mask of the Phantasm would be hailed as one of the best Batman movies. It’s certainly the best Batman animated movie.

This isn’t the film that was advertised but it is still a great children’s movie. When it was promoted back in 2007, you would be forgiven that this is a fantasy epic. While there are those elements, they only make for a section of the movie. The rest is a sad, gripping tale about the relationship between two school friends who deal with the darkness in their lives by creating the imaginary world of Terabithia.

One of the most endearing coming-of-age movies you are likely to see, Son of Rambow is about two children growing up in the ’80s who are obsessed with Rambo. So much, they decide to make their own version of the movie with the help of their friends. What ensues is a fun, inventive film about the magic of childhood friendship and imagination. Directed by music video supremo Garth Jennings, Son of Rambow is a trio of love letters: one to the Eighties, one to home videos and the other to the cartoon violence that was born out of an era where Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Willis ruled the box office.

Lost in Translation is a superb, dreamlike movie that wonderfully captures feeling of alienation and loneliness you can feel in a city you don’t belong in. The city in question is Tokyo, the lonely people are Bill Murray as an ageing actor and Scarlett Johansson as a college graduate left to her own devices by her photographer husband. The chemistry between Murray and Johansson is electric, both endearing and hilarious, as is the soundtrack and the way the film slowly creeps up on you in an wonderful way.

Woody Allen managed to assemble a cracking ensemble for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The film is a fun look at friends Vicky Cristina (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) as they travel to Barcelona and meet a mysterious artist, played by Javier Bardem. It’s all sex and sultriness until his unhinged ex-wife appears. She’s played by Penelope Cruz with such magnetism that you are drawn to her and kind of forget the rest of the characters. It’s not Allen at his best but even his ‘good enough’ films are a cut above most.

There’s a deep, maddening love portrayed in Blue Valentine that is so powerful it ends up being destructive. With that in mind, this isn’t the movie to put on if you don’t want you and your loved one to question your own relationship. It’s a brutal, raw movie that focuses on the relationship between married couple Dean and Cindy, played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams respectively. They are two people in love, pushed apart by circumstance. The story flits back and forth in time, so with each tender moment you get anguish. Powerful stuff.

Todd Haynes is one of the world's most fascinating directors, who loves to mine different eras for inspiration. While he courted the ’70s with Velvet Goldmine and I’m Not There, it is perhaps the ’50s where he has managed to use the tensions of the era to create superb character dramas. Carol is just that, a romantic tale between two women - Rooney Mara is the clerk that falls in love with Cate Blanchett’s character who is unhappy in a marriage of convenience. The anxieties and problems Haynes highlights in his earlier movie Safe are back with Carol. In this movie, though, everything has been given a more sumptuous sheen.

Thank goodness we live in an era where Terrence Malick is back and making movies on a regular basis. Knight of Cups is as dreamlike and fractured as you have come to expect from the revered director. As with all his movies, it’s clear he shot way more footage and didn’t decide on what film he was making until he hit the edit suite, but that’s part of its charm. Here we see Christian Bale as Rick, a writer who flits between Vegas and LA with six different women. Vegas is perfect Territory for Malick, a desert of neon suits his filmmaking style. While the supporting cast Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman and Freida Pinto all add gravitas to the film.

Writer-director John Carney’s debut is a low-budget joy that’s since been turned into a very successful play. The plot is slight: a busker and immigrant spend a week in Dublin falling in love and making music together. But it’s the songs that make the movie. Each one is a gem, sprinkled throughout the movie to give it a musical quality. Carney’s latest Sing Street is well worth a watch, too.

The best way to tell the story of Oasis is to use the band. The group were so enigmatic, so cocksure of themselves that they come across brilliantly on camera. Their interviews are backed by some fantastic archive footage that threads a narrative about a band that solidified the idea of Britpop and proved that the UK still has some rock’n’roll swagger. It’s just a shame that the Gallagher Brothers no longer speak to each other, as they are at their best when they are together.

This documentary may have gained prominence thanks to its DJ Shadow soundtrack, but it’s the subject matter that makes Dark Days such a must watch. Shot and directed by Marc Singer, Dark Days shines a light on those who live in underground tunnels under New York. Criminally, this was Singer’s only foray into documentary filmmaking but at least he created a classic.

It's a harrowing watch, but Grizzly Man is veteran filmmaker Werner Herzog at his best. Following the (somewhat naive) work of amatuer environmentalist Timothy Treadwell, Herzog examines what sort of man would choose to live, unprotected, among a family of grizzly bears across 13 summers.

At times difficult, Herzog's deeply respectful telling of this unique tale is thought-provoking and wonderfully compiled.

The Amy documentary is a hard watch, one that will have you fighting back tears. The talent on show is blighted by the talent that is thrown away. The doc showcases Amy Winehouse in her early years, using archive footage of the star that shows just how much of a talent she was. There are talking heads with her family - including her husband - as well as good friends of hers.

Jim Jarmusch uses music in his movies to fine effect, so it makes complete sense that he is the one to helm a documentary about The Stooges and their enigmatic frontman, Iggy Pop. The Stooges may not have hit the heights of, say, The Rolling Stones but they’re an important piece of the rock puzzle. This doc does well to uncover what made the band tick, complete with recent talking heads with members of the band.

A-list director Ron Howard took a break from feature-filmmaking to direct this documentary about the most famous band ever. It’s a slick production, meshing old interviews, archive footage and new interviews with the surviving members together to create a vivid look at a band in their pomp to their rather sour end.

Sometimes it’s the smaller stories that pack the most power. That’s certainly the case with Dreams of a Life. This dramatised documentary focuses on Joyce Vincent, someone who died in her bedsit and wasn’t found for three years. It’s a story of isolation, dreams and detective work - as filmmaker Carol Morley joins the dots of Vincent’s life.

Forget the rather disappointing 3D movie and instead focus on this riveting documentary about a French high-wire artist who decides to one day scale one of the towers World Trade Center and walk across to the other one using just a tightrope. It’s utterly absorbing Man on Wire features an in-depth interview with the person that did the stunt, Philippe Petit. The way he tells the story of how he got past security to walk the Twin Towers is as engrossing as any heist movie.

Nick Cave’s unmistakable timber is all over 20,000 Days on Earth, a documentary about Cave’s life so far. As it’s Cave, he takes a rather unique approach to things. Set over a 24-hour period, his real life and a fictional version of his life combine (where celebrities join him on a car journey) to produce a meditation on the process of making music. The best bits are when we see Cave in the studio - watching a music genius at work is mesmerising.

Bob Marley’s music is as strong today as when it was released back in the ‘70s. His politics are as strong as they are now, his protest songs have lost none of their vibrancy. Which is why Marley is such a brilliant watch. It tells the tale of how Marley brought his music to the masses, his love of football and his life living in both London and Jamaica - all of which are brought brilliantly to life by interviews with friends and family and archive footage.

Director Ben Wheatley adds the right amount of realism and menace to Kill List - a film that is never quite what it seems. On the face of it, it’s a kitchen sink drama about a hitman and his latest assignment to kill three people but as the story unravels so does the hitman’s life (played in earnest by the brilliant Neil Maskell). It flirts at being a family drama, teases you that it’s a crime saga then hits you with the most relentless horror that you’ll be watching the end behind your hands. Great stuff.

South Korea has slowly but surely marked itself out as a country that's producing some fantastic filmmakers. Interestingly, two of the best movies from South Korean directors of recent times have been based on trains - Joon-ho Bong's Snowpiercer (which criminally never got a UK release) and Sang-ho Yeon's Train To Busan.

Train To Busan is a brilliant zombie horror movie. By having most of the action take place on a train, we see what it's like when a zombie epidemic takes hold in close confines, complete with cloying claustrophobia. It's part action movie, part love story, all character study, showing that a situation such as a freaking zombie outbreak can bring out the best and the very worst in people.

Well this was unexpected. The name Hell House LLC doesn't exactly scream 'must watch' but despite its rather Grindhouse-esque title, this is a brilliant slice of horror. The plot is simple: a group of friends who create haunted house experiences for Halloween find a house to convert that's seemingly filled with real-life ghosts. The movie is their footage spliced together, with police reports and the like. The found footage genre is rather stagnant now but Hell House manages to breathe new life into it, mustering up some genuine scares that will have even the most hardened horror fans watching from behind their fingers. Its final scenes don't quite match what went before it (or make much sense) but this is one of the best horror films to come out in years.

Sinister is that rare horror film: it has brains, A-listers and is still really scary. Ethan Hawke is a true crime writer. After finding a box of what he thinks is footage of murders committed by a serial killer, things start to go very bad in his life. Director Scott Derrickson may have recently made the more family friendly Doctor Strange, but with Sinister he proves that he is just as adept at garnering scares as he is guiding the Marvel universe.

Martyrs is a tough, tough movie to watch. You shouldn’t watch it to be entertained, but to be shocked and tested. The first half of the movie is fine. It plays out like any home invasion thriller. Two girls break into the house of a seemingly normal family to get revenge for being kidnapped and tortured when they were younger. The second half of the movies, though, is an onslaught to the senses. It is like nothing you have ever seen, and maybe like nothing you ever want to see again. This is a film for those with a strong stomach. It’s a clever movie that uses extreme blood, gore and torture to hold a mirror up to the perverse nature of ‘torture porn’ movies.

A low-budget chiller that takes place in a small town in Ontario, Canada (bet you can’t guess its name) and follows the exploits of a talk radio team who are reporting on strange goings on in the town. It’s essentially a movie about zombies but distilled through the eyes of a small, yet vocal, group of people. Its budget may well be small but its ambition is big and that’s what makes Pontypool such a fun watch.

This serial killer cat-and-mouse movie is one of the most visceral around. Starring Old Boy’s Min-Sik Choy as the killer, the film is graphic in its content - Its tale of revenge is uncompromising - but is a fantastic watch. It’s also one of the best movies from director Jee-woon Kim who has a platinum line-up of films, including A Tale of Two Sisters, A Bittersweet Life and to a lesser extent his sole US movie, The Last Stand.

One of the cleverest things Wolf Creek did was cast John Jarratt in its lead. Outside of Australia this probably didn’t mean much but Jaratt was the good guy in McLeod’s Daughters. This made his portrayal of serial killer Mick Taylor harder to watch. Wolf Creek is a slow burn of a movie but once Taylor is on the screen, his menace means it’s a must watch - how quickly he changes from helper to hindrance is impressive, as is his gruesome acts of killing.

]]>YouTube's new paid music streaming service could launch in Marchhttp://www.techradar.com/news/youtubes-new-paid-music-streaming-service-could-launch-in-march
http://www.techradar.com/news/youtubes-new-paid-music-streaming-service-could-launch-in-marchThe service, called 'Remix', reportedly combines elements of Google Play Music and YouTube Red.Fri, 08 Dec 2017 21:02:06 +0000techradar.comGoogle does many things well, but one thing it struggles with is coming up with a paid streaming music service that can keep up with Spotify and Apple Music.

It's already got Google Play Music, YouTube Red and YouTube Music, but in March it's going to try its luck again with a new service for YouTube that's tentatively called "Remix," according to a report from Bloomberg. The news confirms a rumor we heard in July.

Unsurprisingly, the goal of Remix is simplification. The new service would reportedly combine the audio-only aspect of Google Play Music and the ad-free video-focused content of YouTube Red into one hopefully appealing package.

Of course, its existence depends on getting the three major music publishers to play along, which may be a problem has they've long criticized YouTube for its fairly indifferent attitude to policing copyrighted content and its poor payouts to both artists and labels. Considering that more than a billion people watch YouTube videos every month, it's not hard to see why they'd like to get more money out of the service.

Keep watching

As for the music publishers, Warner Music Group has reportedly already signed on for the new project, but Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group remain in talks, along with Merlin, a group that represents independent labels.

These talks have reportedly been going on for more than a year. For that matter, YouTube also needs to negotiate with Vevo, which holds the rights to many music videos.

That's a lot to achieve before March. It's a big gamble, and its rivals in the race already have significant leads. Spotify now boasts 50 million paid users (out of a total user base of around 150 million), while Billboard reported that Apple Music isn't far behind with 30 million paid users. Google, though, has never released official subscriber numbers for Google Play Music, and last year The Verge reported that YouTube Red had only 1.5 million subscribers.

]]>Best shows on Netflix (December 2017): 60 best Netflix serieshttp://www.techradar.com/news/best-shows-on-netflix
http://www.techradar.com/news/best-shows-on-netflixMake sure you are getting the best out of your account with our best shows on Netflix guide.Fri, 08 Dec 2017 20:56:36 +0000techradar.comWelcome to TechRadar’s constantly updated guide to the best shows on Netflix right now. It's the most authoritative, in-depth guide to the best Netflix series around, offering all the information you need to make sure that you avoid the clangers and get binge-watching the best television shows available on the streaming platform.

[Update: The Crown: Season 2 heads to Netflix and becomes part of our best shows on Netflix list. The sumptuous series carries on the legacy of the royal family, adding a rebellious Princess Margaret into the mix and, er, some Nazis.]

We’ve chosen the 60 best Netflix shows that you need to watch. Whether you are into meth-laced dramas (Breaking Bad), talking horses (Bojack Horseman) or fear-inducing dystopias that are far too close for comfort (Black Mirror) there’s something for you on the list.

Netflix is currently the hottest streaming service on the planet. Not only is it creating fantastic original shows - House of Cards, Orange is the New Black - it is teaming up with the likes of Marvel to adapt famous superheroes for the small screen. And it’s just bought its own graphic novel IP so expect more original comic-book content soon.

Is The Crown Netflix's crowning glory? Not quite, but it is a sumptuous look at one of the world's most famous families: the Royal family. Charting the early years of the relationship between the Queen (Claire Foy) and Prince Philip (former Doctor Who Matt Smith), the show was written by Peter Morgan and, at £100 million, is one of the most expensive TV series ever made. Which means there's enough pomp and ceremony to keep those pining for a Downton Abbey replacement happy.

The second season is now on Netflix and is a nice improvement on the first series.

Margaret Atwood is having something of a resurgence at the moment, what with the incredible The Handmaid’s Tale adaptation and now this, a superb take on her novel Alias Grace. Grace is another cutting social commentary that’s wrapped in a mystery, centred on servant Grace Marks who is sentenced to life in prison for the apparent murder of her housekeeper. The plot will keep you guessing, the design of the show is sumptuous and there’s even a surprise cameo from David Cronenberg.

It’s always a pleasure to watch Neil Patrick Harris in anything but A Series Of Unfortunate Events is the perfect platform for him. He plays Count Olaf with all the vim and vigour you’d expect - adding a certain weirdness to what is already a strange show. Based on the first four Lemony Snicket books, the series consists of eight episodes - so four two-part stories - and is arguably a better adaptation than the Jim Carrey starring movie.

Fresh from giving horror anthologies a new spin with American Horror Story, creator Ryan Murphy has taken this idea and expanded it into the world of crime. The first series of American Crime Story focuses on the very public case of OJ Simpson and the death of his wife Nicole. It's superb TV, dramatising what was one of the most engrossing true stories to come out of the '90s. Cuba Gooding Jr is great as OJ but it's the supporting cast that steals the show. Sarah Paulson, David Schwimmer, John Travolta and Courtney B Vance ham it up to the max and it makes for some of the most entertaining television in years.

Archer is now into its eighth season and apart from a few hiccups - season 5’s Archer Vice is particularly grating - it’s a brilliant, adult pastiche of Bond. The plot is simple: Archer is a heavy drinking womanising spy for an agency that’s headed up by his mum. The cartoon charts his antics, alongside his co-workers Cheryl, Cyril, Lana, Pam and Krieger. Featuring many of the cast of Arrested Development, and a sprinkling of Mad Men, Archer is hilarious, off-kilter fare.

Arrested Development is one of the best comedies ever made. So it made sense that Netflix would want to resurrect it for a fourth season. While it wasn’t perfect - primarily because most of the cast were too busy to get into the same room - it was great to see the Bluth family back. Full of in-jokes, jokes that run for entire seasons and more, well, jokes, this is essential TV. And the good news is that a fifth series has been commissioned.

Babylon is a cutting satire on policing in the UK. Written by the folks behind Peep Show, it focuses on a bumbling commissioner (James Nesbitt), Brit Marling as a PR person trying to modernise the force and firearm officers on the ground. It’s both hilarious and dramatic in equal fashion, making it one of the most highly original shows on British TV in recent years.

On paper, the idea of a show that mines the early life of Hitchcock psycho Norman Bates is pretty terrible. But over the course of a number of seasons Bates Motel has proved to be a hit. Focusing, with a lot of unease, on the relationship between Norman (a brilliant Freddie Highmore) and his mother (Vera Farmiga) acting more like a psychological thriller than outright horror. The best thing about it is how it manages to keep you guessing as to what is going to happen next, even though the story it is building up to is one of the most famous of all time.

Charlie Brooker was best known for his snarky looky at the news in Weekly Wipe and his fantastic, caustic look at meeja types in London’s Shoreditch before he penned Black Mirror - and now the show has given him superstar status. For good reason, it’s fantastic TV with each episode taking on a different dystopia topic, mostly framed around technology going very long. The third season was commissioned by Netflix and is in 4K, with most of the episodes being feature length.

‘Clear eyes, full heart’. That’s Coach’s mantra in Friday Night Lights, a fantastic show that everyone should watch - even if you have absolutely no interest in American Football. Kyle Chandler is the coach of a small time football team, who moves to the fictional Texas town of Dillon, a place obsessed with the sport. Over the course of five seasons, the show paints a fantastic picture of America through the lens of sport.

Better Call Saul is better than Breaking Bad. That’s a sentence we never thought we would write, but it’s now three seasons and it is flawless TV. It doesn’t have the menace or fear that propelled Walter White in Breaking Bad, instead it takes its time to paint a picture of Saul Goodman, someone that was in Bad mainly for comic relief. In his own show, though, creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have created a well-rounded, means well character whose descent into criminality is a slow burn. Although some characters have started to appear from Breaking Bad, the show doesn’t beg for the appearance of Walter White or Jesse - it’s now it’s own thing and we can’t wait for Season 4.

Yes, Bojack Horseman is hilarious. Yes, it’s the best thing Will Arnett has done since Arrested Development. And, yes, it should be the next thing you watch if you are into anthropomorphic comedy about a once great TV star who has fallen on hard times. It’s all of that but it’s also a pretty accurate portrayal of depression and should be celebrated as such.

This may make it sound like the saddest show ever. It’s not but it’s far more weightier than most of the cartoon comedies doing the rounds on Netflix at the moment.

Breaking Bad is must-watch TV and one of the reasons Netflix has risen to the popularity it has. Before Breaking Bad, Netflix was seen as a fairly decent streaming service. After it got the rights to show the final season of Breaking Bad in the UK, Netflix propelled itself to superstardom. Not bad for a show that’s ostensibly about a high-school teacher with cancer who goes on to sell meth to pay for his hospital bills.

It goes without saying, if you haven’t yet spent time with Walter White and Jesse - do so now! But, be warned, the show is as addictive as the stuff Walter is peddling.

The Confession Tapes does well to fill a Making A Murderer shaped hole. It's a documentary about six true crime cases where the confessions in question may not be all that they seem. Melding in-depth interviews with the actual tapes is inspired and making each episode a separate case (except for the first two episodes which cover one bigger case) means that this is endlessly bingeable.

Seasons on Netflix: 1

When it comes to superhero movies, Marvel are bossing DC thanks to the rich tapestry it has weaved with its cinematic universe. Its TV shows, as fun as Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D and Agent Carter are, haven't had the same success as DC's The Arrow or The Flash. Thankfully Daredevil has come along to change all this. Released in one binge-watching dose, Daredevil is superb television, regardless if you are a superhero fan or not. Matt Murdoch's (Boardwalk Empire's Charlie Cox) rise from blind lawyer to vigilante is brutal and steeped in realism. The reason it works so well is that it doesn't shy away from being violent - each crack and crunch is a world away from Ben Affleck's terrible movie version. And special mention has to go to Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, his best role since the tortured Private Pyle.

Daredevil season two is out now and adds Elektra and Punisher into the mix. With new showrunners on board, the show has shifted slightly tonally but the brutality of the fight scenes are still there - you just need to check out Episode 3 to see what we mean.

This is a far from festive addition to Netflix for December but it's certainly a must-watch. Dark is a German-language supernatural thriller in which the disappearance of two children in a small town brings the fractured relationships and dark pasts of the people living there to the surface.

Adding a touch of Scandinavian crime thriller to American drama, this is 10-part series is already generating talk of a second series so it might be one to jump on early.

Seasons on Netflix: 1

There's a reason Iron Fist isn't on our Best Shows on Netflix list: it's terrible. Which is such a shame as the rest of Netflix's Marvel series have been hard-hitting, explosive delights. Thankfully The Defenders sees the Marvel TV universe fighting fit once more, with the mini series proving that all of the characters are better together - yes, even glowy fist man. Given its limited episode run - it's a lean eight episodes - it's a little strange that it takes a good three episodes to get going but once it does, and mostly because of Sigourney Weaver, it's great.

Mackenzie Crook was one of the breakout stars from The Office, swapping his brilliant performance as the hapless Gareth for Hollywood roles in Pirates of the Caribbean and Game of Thrones. But it's on home soil where he fares best.

The Detectorists, written by and starring Mackenzie, is a warm, brilliant comedy. Based around the lives of a group of metal detectorists, it features brilliant writing, acting and characters - in any given episode, you will either be in tears of laughter or poignancy.

Following in the footsteps of fellow 'mumblecore' members the Duplass brothers - whose brilliant Creep was a Netflix exclusive - Joe Swamberg has hit Netflix with a candid and considered look at sex and relationships.

Easy is an eight-episode look at relationships in Chicago. There's a different subject for each episode, although each life portrayed eventually overlaps in the show in some way.

Cast-wise, Easy has some surprisingly big names. Malin Akerman and Orlando Bloom star in one vignette, while the likes of Emily Ratajkowski, Marc Maron and Dave Franco also make an appearance.

Don't go into Easy expecting explosive drama or high-tense action, but as a realistic look at other people's love lives it's a great, if slightly meandering watch.

There was a collective groan by Coen Brothers fans the world over when Fargo the television show was announced. But what could have been darn tootin' awful ended up being fantastic, thanks to the casting of Billy Bob Thornton who is both funny and psychotic - well, his character is anyway. The series thankfully didn't retread the movie but added to it, acting as a strange but sublime companion piece. It's so good, the Coens initially refused to have their name on the show - until they saw it and loved it.

The second season is also now on Netflix and surpasses the first. The plotline veers away from the original film, but the heart of Fargo is still very much in this TV show. The second series flips back 27 years before the events of the original.

Unfairly cancelled after just one season, Freaks and Geeks was the starting point for many AAA comedy actors, directors and writers careers of today. Set around two factions of kids trying to get by in a typical US school: the freaks and, well, the geeks.

James Franco, Seth Rogan and Jason Segel are fantastic as part of the geek ensemble - Franco playing the heart throb, Rogan the monosyllabic beer fiend and Segel, the loveable stoner. While the geeks include Silicon Valley's Martin Starr and a superb John Francis Daley. But it's Lind Cardellini who's standout, playing Lindsay Weir, the math kid who decides to rebel.

Created by Paul Feig, who recently tried his hand at rebooting GhostBusters, and written by Judd Apatow, the show is great antidote to the whimsical teenage world of Dawson Creek and the like.

It was going to be hard for Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain to duplicate their comedy success of Peep Show but they did it with Fresh Meat, a kinder but no less funnier slice of British life. Instead of mining the mundanity of adulthood, Fresh Meat targets student life and it's brilliant. Given its subject matter, the comedy, although gag heavy, is surprisingly mature. And as its final season is great at tackling that feeling of 'what now?' as uni life fast comes to an end.

Seasons on Netflix: 3

The Get Down has a lot to live up to. It's the most expensive Netflix show ever made - knocking Marco Polo of that perch - thanks to its creator Baz Luhrmann's vibrant style that suits the show's premise. And that premise is a doozy: The Get Down charts the beginnings of hip-hop in the 1970s, telling the tale through the eyes of young rapper Ezekiel. Bombastic in its approach and beautiful to look at, The Get Down is a potent mix of fictional characters and real-life stars of the hip-hop scene, including Grandmaster Flash who also produced the show. All 12 episodes are available to binge now - you'll either love or hate it!

Netflix recently revealed that this will be the only season of The Get Down as it's cancelled the show - which we reckon is a big mistake as it's a great watch.

Alison Brie already proved she had comedic chops in Community but GLOW cements her as a comedy genius who can turn on the seriousness when she needs to. In GLOW (gorgeous ladies of wrestling) she plays Ruth Wilder, a struggling actress in '80s LA who turns to women's wrestling to make a star of herself. The show is a look at the underground sensation of ladies wrestling, with all the wit and gender stereotype reversing you would expect from the maker of Orange Is The New Black. It's a great, highly original watch, with a superb cast that includes British singer Kate Nash.

This seven-part mini series is a Western with true grit. It may be called Godless but it starts off wordless, with an intro that leaves you both breathless and wanting more. Netflix may be touting that Jeff Daniels and Jack O'Connell bring star presence here but this is a series about a town dominated by strong women, after a mining accident takes most of the male population. And it’s the women who shine, especially farm owner Alice Fletcher - played by Michelle Dockery. Despite the premise, much of the dialogue does go to the blokes but that is the only black on a series that plays out like one long Western - complete with 2:39:1 aspect ratio. Lovely stuff.

TV comedy is in a good place right now and, funnily enough, The Good Place is a perfect example of that. Starring Ted Danson and Kristen Bell, this off-the-wall comedy focuses on a recently deceased woman who is sent to a heaven-like utopia called the Good Place completely by accident. In order to stay there she goes to any lengths to hide what a terrible person she was when living.

Season 1 has already aired in the US to great acclaim and now it's coming to the UK through Netflix with new season 2 episodes being added each week in line with their US release.

A great cast, clever writing and an original concept make this a must-watch.

Him & Her is one of the best British sitcoms in years. Based around the lives of a bored, lazy but happy 20-something couple, the show's plot is slight but it manages to get laughs out of the most mundane happenings. Sarah Solemani is fantastic as Becky whose love for Steve (Russell Tovey) never falters, despite her parents disliking him. And Kerry Howard as Laura, Becky's sister, is the most hateful character since, well, ever.

Homeland, now in its fifth season, is a very different show now than it was when it first aired back in 2011. Based on the Israeli series Prisoner of War, the first few seasons were based around the premise of a returning war hero that may or not be holding a dark secret. This duplicity has been a running theme since then but the narrative has moved on. What hasn't changed is the brilliant central performance by Claire Danes as the CIA officer with bi-polar disorder - she's superb and the glue that holds this sometimes disparate show together.

The IT Crowd ended its run after four series and a special, not because of failing ratings but because the people starring in it just got too big. Richard Ayoade (who plays the brilliantly awkward Morris) was to leave to become a director, while Chris O'Dowd (slacker Roy) was headed for Hollywood. This meant that the show ended on a high rather than a ratings slump. Created by Father Ted's Graham Linehan, the IT Crowd is a harmless, hilarious take on life in the world of IT and thoroughly deserves its cult status.

Initially made on a shoe-string budget, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia first season had a cult following, but low viewing figures meant it was destined to be a one-series wonder. Thankfully, everything changed when Season 2 was eventually green-lit, thanks to some big-time star power. Danny De Vito joined for a 10-episode run that was extended because he loved it so much. He's still in the show that's now in its 11th season, bringing with him huge viewing figures. The antics of Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Mac (Rob McElhenney, the show's creator), Charlie (Charlie Kelly) and Sweet Dee (Kaitlin Olson) won't be for everyone - at its darkest the show's 'comedy' themes range from nazism to drug abuse - but stick with it and this deliciously depraved classic will reward you.

A new, 12th season, has finally landed on Netflix, after airing in the US earlier this year. The show has also been renewed for two more seasons, which will make it the longest running live-action comedy series on TV ever. Impressive stuff.

And there was us thinking that Daredevil's subject matter was dark. Jessica Jones is another tale set in Hell's Kitchen that may be under the Marvel banned but is about as far removed from the bromance of Thor and Iron Man that you are likely to see.

Breaking Bad's Krysten Ritter is superb as the titular Jones, a private detective with superpowers and super issues. This is nocturnal noir that moves in the same circles as Daredevil - figuratively and literally as both characters will eventually team up in the Defenders. It may not have the bone-crunching violence that Daredevil is famed for, but there's enough booze, sex and black humour on the screen to make this a cracking comic-book caper that's strictly adults only.

Netflix struck true crime gold with How To Make a Murderer and its done the same again with The Keepers. This time the case in question is the murder of a nun in 1969 in Baltimore. The case remains unsolved and this documentary series goes back to the scene of the crime, speaking to witnesses and people who worked on the case.

This is a meticulously researched series, and one that has been in the works longer than Making a Murderer. It shows, too. Each episode ends on a new piece of evidence and by the end you'll be horrified with just how this case remained unsolved for so long. Gripping stuff.

Luke Cage is the latest addition to Netflix's impressive and growing Marvel TV show offering. Marvel has created a rich cinematic universe and although some of its TV shows (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Agent Carter) have struggled to stay on their feet others like Jessica Jones and Daredevil have flourished.

Luke Cage is more in the same vein as Jessica Jones and Daredevil, with less light-hearted superhero fun and more hard-hitting themes, violence, and grit.

After making his debut in the first series of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage is getting his own show which sees him swap Hell's Kitchen for Harlem, delving into his origins as a hero. Viewers who lamented the fact that they didn't get to see more of him in Jessica Jones will enjoy the opportunity to find out more about what makes his character tick here. Don't worry if you haven't watched Jessica Jones, it's not a requirement to understand or appreciate anything about Luke Cage.

The first season in its entirety is on Netflix now, making it perfect to settle in and binge watch.

Idris Elba was a relatively unknown actor when he blew us all away as Stringer Bell in The Wire. After starring in the show his career catapulted him into the A List, but he thankfully never forgot his TV roots. Luther is a cop show with a difference, and that difference is Elba. He brings that bit extra to a cop who is battling both deranged criminals and his own demons. He befriends murderers and breaks rules, all amongst the beautiful but broken backdrop of London's East End.

Five series of Mad Men have arrived on Netflix. While it may not be the full set - there were seven in all - there's enough here to bing watch and get caught up in Matthew Weiner's modern TV classic. On the face of it, Mad Men is about advertising execs - lead by the ever-conflicted Don Draper - in the Sixties but it's much much more. Each episode lingers, taking time to tell its tale, but it's worth the wait. Superb television.

Aziz Ansari was part of one of the best comedy ensembles ever in Parks and Recreation, but in Master of None he proves he can hold his own when he goes it alone. Channeling Louie CK, by way of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Master of None is a fantastic look at being in your 30s in Hollywood and all the trappings that go with it. Ansari plays the fictional Dev but this sitcom comes off as deeply personal and is all the better for it.

The second season improves on what is a fantastic first season. Dev is now in Italy, making pasta and trying to forget about acting. It's not long before he heads back to New York, though.

The world's fascination with real crime seems to be at its highest at the moment and it's all thanks to the podcast Serial. Now on to its second series, Serial highlights cases of crime in forensic detail. Making a Murderer is in a similar vein. This 10-part series looks at Steven Avery, someone who spent 18 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit and is then accused of a different crime. The show has been ten years in the making and is gripping stuff.

David Fincher is no stranger to Netflix, he's heavily involved in House of Cards as producer and directed the first episode, but Mindhunter is Fincher going, well, full Fincher. It's based on John Douglas' book of the same name and charts the life of an FBI profiler whose job it is to track serial killers.

It's set in the '70s and all 10 episodes of the show ooze appeal. It's a sinister mashup of Silence of the Lambs and Mad Men and stars the superb Anna Torv - of Fringe fame.

Fincher directs four episodes and the whole thing has been written by Joe Penhall who wrote the screenplay for The Road.

Seasons on Netflix: 1

Narcos is that wonderful thing: a TV show that doesn't scrimp on controversy. Based on the exploits of Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar, the show examines the criminal's rise to the top of one of the biggest drug rings the world has seen, while constantly trying to avoid the clutches of the DEA.

Uncompromising, uncomfortable but completely unforgettable, Narcos is exactly the sort of thing that Netflix should be commissioning. It's also the sort of thing that HBO would have snapped up just a few years ago - which is very telling as to where television is today.

The third season is available now on Netflix. We're not one to offer up spoilers but it's fair to say that it's all change for Narcos in season 3.

The OA rounds off what has been an exceptional year for television on Netflix. Co-created by and starring the ever-brilliant Brit Marling, the show consists of eight episodes that rival Stranger Things for, well, strangeness.

Marling is a blind woman who comes back after disappearing for many years. Her sight is restored and she has a tale to tell. Although there are eight episodes they vary wildly in length - from 70 minutes to 30 minutes. The whole thing has been made to make you feel uneasy and it does a great job of that.

Orange Is The New Black consistently tries to oust House of Cards from the Netflix top spot, with its superb tale of life in a women's prison. It's so popular that its makers have announced that the show will be running until at least season seven.

The show has finally returned for a fourth season and things of gotten very dark! Racial tensions and issues with the US prison system are the main plot points for season four and while the comedy is still there, it's slathered with a fair bit of drama.

Netflix's latest TV drama has been tipped as the next Breaking Bad, but it doesn't quite deserve that accolade. One of the main reason is that Jason Bateman's Marty Byrde has already broke bad, helping a Mexican cartel to fudge their figures. This means the descent that was so brilliant in Walter White isn't really seen here. But that doesn't mean that show isn't worth a stream - it's a tense, occasionally terrifying watch that mashes stereotypes and cultures as the Byrde family leave their home in Chicago for the Ozarks in Missouri.

Also, Jason Bateman is always worth a watch, even when he isn't winking at the camera Arrested Development style. But the real scene stealer is the ever-brilliant Laura Linney. She acts, directs and produces in this series, proving she's the real star of the show.

All nine seasons of Peep Show are now on Netflix - and if you haven't seen the show, then you are in for a treat. Charting the rather mundane lives of two flatmates Jez (Robert Webb) and Mark (David Mitchell), the show is a wry look at adults trying and failing to be adults.

All shot in first person - hence the name - Peep Show doesn't shirk from sex, drugs and political incorrectness but it does it all in such a brilliantly British way, that you don't mind at all when you are watching some of the most awkward TV moments, including one of the characters serving up a dead dog for dinner.

From the mind of Jonathan Nolan - Inception writer and brother to Christopher - this twist-ridden series is as high concept as it gets. A computer algorithm offers up 'people of interest' to a crack crime-fighting team which consists of former Jesus Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson, last seen chewing the scenery as Lost's big bad Benjamin Linus. While the first season is a little by the numbers, this show has blossomed into something of a must watch.

The Punisher was meant to just play a bit part in Netflix's Marvel world. But Jon Bernthal's depiction of Frank Castle, the vigilante war veteran was so good in Daredevil: Season 2 he's been given his own show. The new show is a surprisingly muted introduction into the world of The Punisher. Not as gung-ho as we were expecting and there's actually some tender moments between Frank Castle and Marvel regular Karen Page. What ensues is a movie about revenge and redemption that is sometimes too dark for its own good but is far more entertaining that the turgid Iron Fist.

Seasons on Netflix: 1

As its third season nears, it's a perfect time to get into Rick and Morty. The show on its most linear level focuses on the relationship between a grandfather and his grandson. But it's oh so much more. It's a meditation on sci-fi tropes, a pop culture cauldron, a high-concept cartoon that's endlessly quotable and also a show that contains more than its fair share of fart jokes. It's endlessly bingeable and very funny - all thanks to its creator, Community's Dan Harmon.

Slathered with a fantastic dose of black comedy, Santa Clarita Diet stars Drew Barrymore are the stereotypical TV mum, with one difference: she likes eating people. This brand-new show on Netflix is a great send up of the family sitcom, taking all the tropes that make Modern Family and the like so successful, then turning them on their head, and then eating their head. And be warned: when things are eaten it's all very grizzly. Timothy Olyphant also stars as the dad who is happy for his wife to be a flesh eater.

The Wachowski siblings have been more miss than hit lately - Cloud Atlas was brave but flawed, Jupiter Ascending was just flawed - but Sense8 sees something of a return to form for the directing duo.

Yes there are problems with Sense8 but this uneven show is brilliantly high concept and packed with interesting characters. Well, eight characters in all, from different parts of the globe that are connected in a variety of ways.

The disparate batch of characters means this is a show that has a lot in keeping with Cloud Atlas, where different genres nestled uneasily against each other. But it's a brave show and one that suits the lavish cinematography the Wachowskis are famed for.

A Sense8 Christmas special helped fill the gap before the second season - but now the second season is here and proves that the show is developing into something great. Unfortunately, the second season will be the last as Netflix has decided to pull the plug on the show.

Sherlock is a show that has been drip-fed to it audience over a number of years. This is partly due to its stories working better as three-episode arcs but also because its main stars, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have become bonafide superstars during its run, so pinning them down is somewhat difficult.

Cumberbatch is superb has the modern day Sherlock, but the show works because of a potent mix of scriptwriting (thanks to Doctor Who’s Stephen Moffat), deft direction and a fair bit of challenging the viewer. Superb stuff.

Seasons on Netflix: 3

Wow, well we didn't see this one coming. The Sinner is a fantastic murder mystery tale that will have you wanting to watch it in one sitting. The premise is centred around a mother who kills someone out of the blue and tries to understand why such a thing would happen. Jessica Biel is stunning in the central role but it's credit to the makers of the show who not only keep you guessing throughout its 8 episodes but also manage to unravel an unpredictable backstory that offers reasons behind the motive.

Seasons on Netflix: 1

There's very good reason Sons of Anarchy is the highest rated show on FX ever - its Shakespeare-esque plot (think Hamlet on bikes), following the tumultuous lives of a motorcycle gang, has everyone who watches it gripped. The show ended in 2014 after seven glorious seasons - although later seasons could never quite reach the glory days of one to three - and is perfect fodder for those looking for another Breaking Bad-style fix.

Now celebrating its 50th year, Star Trek is a movie and TV phenomenon that has no signs of slowing down. The original series, The Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space Nine have all landed on Netflix but it is the first two series that are the best.

Watching it now, the original Star Trek maybe full of creaky sets and suspect acting but the show was bold, colourful and slathered in '60s sci-fi innovation. The first series is superb, with perhaps the greatest-ever TV double act: William Shatner's Kirk and Leonard Nimoy's Spock. Kirk is all bluster and pomp, Spock is cool, calm and authoritative.

Unlike the original series, the Next Generation took a few seasons to get things right but it still fantastic viewing. Patrick Stewart is effortless as Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the rest of the crew are - including Data, William T Riker and Geordi La Forge - up there in stature with the original crew.

Star Trek Discovery is yet another Netflix exclusive that looks set to be a smash hit. Set before the exploits of the Starship Enterprise, the show is filled with Roddenberry characters. But while the original series had shades of light this is a much darker look at space exploration. Sonequa Martin-Green is great as the first officer who has a past inartistically linked to Star Trek characters of the past - we can't wait to see where this series goes.

Seasons on Netflix: 1 (episodes weekly)

It was inevitable that Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle would eventually get cancelled by the BBC. But at least we got four series of absolute genius from one of the UK's finest comedians. Three of those seasons are now on Netflix, with subjects for each 30-minute episode ranging from the global financial crisis, satire and London. Lee's comedy is not for everyone but his observations are always spot on and utterly hilarious.

When it comes to TV and movies, the '80s is the nostalgia decade of the moment. Whether it's Jeff Nichols' Midnight Special that plays like a Steven Spielberg film, if Spielberg still made films like he did in the Eighties, or The Goldbergs and Red Oaks mining the decade for laughs, filmmakers can't get enough of the shell suits and Sony Walkmans.

Stranger Things is another brilliant homage to this era. Leaning heavily on Spielberg, John Carpenter and Stephen King - so much King - the story revolves around a small town, a group of friends, a missing person and a dodgy science lab. Writing anything else would give away the myriad twists in a show that is full of brilliant creepy fun.

The second season continues the brilliance of the first and you’ll be pleased to read that the quality has not diminished. In fact everything’s been ramped up - the horror is more horrific, the homages more on the nose and the creatures are, well, you’ll have to find out for yourself but you will not be disappointed.

The Thick Of It is perfect satire. It is the closest we will ever get to the machinations of politics, until they decide to let cameras roll 24/7 at Number 10. From the ever-sweary Malcolm Tucker to the string of forever-wrong MPs he has to protect with his profanities, The Thick Of It manages to show the world what an omnishambles a government in charge can be, with hilarious consequences.

As catchphrases go, "Yes, I can hear you Clem Fandango" should be up there with the best. If you haven't witnessed Toast of London the you are in for a treat. It's about the life of a struggling actor who dreams of being on the stage but has to make ends meet as a voice over artist and whatever else his terrible agent (a superb Doon Mackichan) throws at him. Matt Berry is fantastic as Steven Toast, one-part Larry David to two-parts Larry Olivier, the middle aged actor who consistently fails to make it big.

Seasons on Netflix: 3

The Trip is the perfect gig for Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon and one that must have been too good to pass on. Based on the flimsy premise that hyper realised versions of the two comedians drive around rural England eating in the best restaurants as food critics, the show shouldn't work but it really really does. Completely unscripted, each episode is strewn with movie star impressions and passive-aggressive jokes, where the two try to one-up each other. Director Michael Winterbottom manages to hold the show together with clever editing and cinematography and manages to add subtle plot through phone conversations with Steve and Rob and their respective families.

The second season has also landed on Netflix and it feels like a sumptuous main course. Italy is the setting and its beautiful surroundings seems to have made the pair more relaxed about life, while still bringing the funny.

Someone escaping from a Domesday cult shouldn't be a recipe for comedy but Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt manages to squeeze the funny out of this premise. Created by Tina Fey and starring Ellie Kemper as the title character, the show sparkles with wit and is the right side of kooky - unlike some other shows *cough* New Girl *cough* we won't mention.

Season Two of Kimmy Schmidt has arrived and is fizzing with the same energy of Season One and there's not long to wait for Season Three - it's out 19 May.

The prequel to a film sequel that no one watched, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp is both fantastic and utterly stupid. It has a cast list to die for - most of Mad Men are in there as is Ant Man's Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper - and focuses on the goings on at the first day at camp.

These goings on include X-Files style conspiracies, homoerotic dancing, long lost rock singers, journalists going undercover and government hit men. In the original film the cast were in their 30s and were playing 17 year olds. In the prequel, the same cast is now in their 40s and are playing their characters' younger selves. If you can get your head around that, then you are going to love the show.

Its TV sequel Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later has also arrived and follows the gang 10 years after they left school.

Netflix shows no sign of slowing down when it comes to creating its own original content. The following shows will be out later in the year and all of them have had A Lot of money spent on them and big stars attached...

The Dark Crystal

Out TBA

We may soon have a new must-have watch in our best shows on Netflix guide! Do you remember Dark Crystal, the fantasy, puppet-filled adventure from the brilliant mind of Muppet creator Jim Henson? It's set to make a comeback as an all-new prequel TV series thanks to Netflix. It's vaguely slated to be "coming soon" to the service, but you can get a sneak peek in the trailer.

Jessica Jones: Season 2

Sometime in 2018

Krysten Ritter recently revealed that Jessica Jones: Season 2 will be more 'bingeable' than season one. Quite what that means we don't know but it does point to a faster-paced than the first fun but stretched instalment. Alongside Ritter, Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor) is back and the action takes place after The Defenders show, which debuts in August.

]]>Best Amazon Prime TV shows (December 2017): 50 great Amazon Prime Video serieshttp://www.techradar.com/news/television/best-amazon-prime-instant-video-tv-shows-25-essential-amazon-prime-tv-series-1289466
http://www.techradar.com/news/television/best-amazon-prime-instant-video-tv-shows-25-essential-amazon-prime-tv-series-1289466The best shows on Amazon Prime Video UK you need to watch right now.Fri, 08 Dec 2017 20:36:00 +0000techradar.comWelcome to our extensive best shows on Amazon Prime list. If you're going to binge-watch, then make sure you're doing it properly, and Amazon's competitive Netflix rival is a good place to start. This is our pick of the best shows on Amazon Prime Video, the TV series that we have been watching and loving on what has become one of the most popular streaming services around.

[Update: It's back! The Grand Tour: Season 2 has arrived and goes straight into our best shows on Amazon Prime list, with episodes landing weekly. The show has improved since its last outing, mainly because it feels more like the Top Gear of old. Surprisingly, they haven't held 'that crash' back and you'll see just how awful it is in the first episode].

Since the launch of Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime has grown into a media powerhouse. Taking, and in some ways surpassing, Netflix's self-serving model to produce its own content Amazon now has a bevy of television shows that are begging to be watched on its own platform. The choice is expansive and that's where we come in.

TechRadar has curated a list of the best Amazon Prime shows around. Chosen by the team, these are the shows streamed in the UK that are Instant classics primed to offer up hours of compulsive viewing.

It's worth noting that these are the best Amazon Prime TV shows that can be watched instantly when you have Amazon Prime access. There are many more shows you can watch through Amazon but these have to be purchased to be viewed.

We will keep this list constantly updated if any paid shows become free that we feel need to be included. So, click through the gallery to see our picks.

Clarkson, Hammond and the other one are back for Grand Tour: Season 2. Well, we kind of knew that they would be as they all have massive contracts that mean we will be seeing quite a few seasons of the Definitely Not Top Gear But Quite A Bit Like Top Gear show. This season sees Clarkson drive a fast car, Hammond drive a faster car and nearly die, and the other one drive a fast car considerably slower than the rest. If you enjoy watching middle aged men burn rubber in the middle of the desert, like a scene out of Mad Max: Fury Road, then this is for you. And if we haven't quite convinced you yet - Gizmodo offered up this quote about the show: "Some men doing stuff for no clearly defined reason." Lovely stuff.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2 (new episodes weekly)

Anyone who wants something to fill their Friday Nights Lights hole need to look no further. This documentary is a superb look at how gruelling a season of American football is. It gives the viewer unprecedented access to the coaches, the staff and, most importantly, the players and it's a fantastic watch. Tying the whole thing together is also some superb narration from Mad Men's John Hamm.

Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and brought to the screen by the ever-excellent Bryan Fuller, American Gods is a existential look at what would happen if gods were to walk the earth. Starring Ricky Whittle (who has made the transition from Hollyoaks to Hollywood with ease) and Ian McShane, the show is both bizarre and brazen, cultish and controversial. It may take a while to figure out just what the hell is going on, but this is one smart, celestial slice of entertainment that's already got us hooked.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 1 (new episodes each week)

The Americans was cruelly mishandled when it originally came to UK TV, so we are glad it has finally found a decent place to reside. The show is a cracking crime period thriller that follows the exploits of a couple of KGB agents posing as US citizens around the time Ronald Reagan became US president.

It may occasionally flit between the ridiculous and the sublime but you would expect nothing more from a show that's main conceit comprises characters dueling with duality. The '80s setting is fantastic, too, though there aren't enough shell suits for our liking.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

You've seen all the Nolan and Burton Bat flicks, and you're wisely avoiding the new Batfleck films. If you're still hankering for a Batman fix, you could do far, far worse than jumping into Batman: The Animated Series. Kicking off back in 1992, it bridges the gap of the Burton aesthetic and the comic book series, and is regarded by Batman fans as having perhaps the definitive onscreen take on the Dark Knight.

It's ostensibly a kids cartoon, but the ongoing storylines are captivating and stylishly noir-like in delivery. And to cap things off, the voice cast is superb – Kevin Conroy is an assuredly-good Batman (reprising the role for the recent Batman: Arkham games), while Star Wars' own Mark Hamill is a fantastically unhinged Joker.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 4

Johnny Depp may have spent the latter half of his career convincing the world that pirates all look, smell and talk like a Rolling Stone but we prefer Black Sails' interpretation. Exclusive to Amazon Prime, Black Sails treats the pirate legend with a touch more reality and this is pretty much all down to Shakespearean thesp Toby Stephens.

His interpretation of Captain Flint, one of the great characters of Treasure Island, is inspired, as is the cinematography in this high seas romp. Set 20 years before Treasure Island, Black Sails is one bit of piracy we fully condone.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4 (new episodes weekly)

With 20-something novels to mine for source material, Bosch is a character that was always destined for the small screen. Created by Michael Connelly but brilliantly brought to life by actor Titus Welliver, the series follows the exploits of LA Homicide detective Harry Bosch and features enough grit to pave the longest of driveways.

This is no surprise - the series has been created by Eric Overmyer, who was part of the alumni that created The Wire. Bosch is another show that has been put together by Amazon Studios - proving that streaming services are becoming just as powerful as the HBOs of the world when it comes to producing compelling drama.

Bosch Season 2 has also landed on Amazon Prime, continuing the saga of Harry Bosch and it comes with a nice uplift in quality too.

Number of seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

From the minds of Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney comes one of the funniest, most well-written sitcom in years. The plot is slight: a one-night stand turns into a relationship once Sharon announces she is pregnant. But the series contains some of the most cut-to-the-bone humour seen on TV. Combine this with a nice slab of pathos - nestled among many a sex joke - and what you have is a modern classic.

The third series, which recently aired on Channel 4, is now available on Amazon Prime Video - it features the last ever performance from the imitable Carrie Fisher.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

There has been an influx of TV adaptations of movies recently, with many of them actually hitting the mark. The ones that succeed the most are those that take the theme/feeling of the films they are adapting and go in their own direction - Fargo is a perfect example of this. Another example is The Exorcist. Although it takes a couple of episodes to get going, the TV series is a decent spin-off of the movie, with just a slither of a thread attaching the two. Don't expect full-on scares, this is definitely a slow burner but when the exorcisms come (and there are a few) they will send a chill down your spine. The show is now into its second season, too, so you can watch the first season with the knowledge that the tale of terror is set to continue.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

We like a dark twist on the superhero genre as much as the next person, and The Tick delivers it: it's about an accountant with mental health issues, who may or may not be a superhero - it could all be in his head. Peter Serafinowicz is the eponymous Tick, and despite that rather sombre-sounding plot outline, this is a black and surreal comedy worth seeking out.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

Before he was whipping up a storm as Mr Grey, Jamie Dornan played an effortlessly charming and equally chilling serial killer in The Fall, a fantastic Irish drama that deserves all the acclaim it gets.

Dornan is Paul Spector, a care worker who has a sideline in killing woman. To help track him down, hard-nosed detective Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) heads to Belfast to try and capture the murderer. The Fall is a perfect blend of intelligent scripting, nuanced acting and a fantastic premise. Knowing who the killer is from scene one amps up, rather than releases, the show's tension.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

With Season Six of Walking Dead coming to an end with a thump, you can still get your undead helping with Fear The Walking Dead - a show that tries its hardest to be more than a spin-off. Set in Los Angeles, the show follows high school guidance counselor Madison Clark (a brilliant Kim Dickens fresh from Treme) and English teacher Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis) as they adapt to a life after the 'zombie' outbreak. The show is slow paced, each episode is an hour and there's a 90-minute pilot, but it manages to approach the Walking Dead world in a wholly different way.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

Billy Bob Thornton stars as a washed-up lawyer looking for a big break who stumbles on to a big case that may well give him the solace he needs. Made by David E Kelly who loves a bit of courtroom drama, having already created Boston Legal, The Practice and Ally McBeal, the show works well as a standalone series but there's talk that it may get a second season. Goliath is part of Amazon's Original series of TV shows.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

Now in its third season, Halt And Catch Fire is another surefire hit by AMC - the folks that brought us Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Set around a fictionalised version of the computer revolution of the 1980s and the rise of the web in the '90s, Catch Fire is a fantastic look at how technology has improved all our lives, while nearly tearing apart the innovators at the same time.

A fourth and final season began airing in October, but you can watch the first three on Amazon Prime now.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

Last seen in Sons of Anarchy, Ron Perlman has moved from the mad world of biker gangs into the stranger world of law. Perlman plays a vice-riddled barrister who, after suffering a breakdown, starts to believe he is a messenger from god.

The full first season for Hand of God arrived on Amazon Prime, after a successful pilot. A second season is also available, which will sadly be the last as Amazon has decided to not renew the show. This is a shame as it may not be a light-hearted ride - but it is one drama that takes dark turn after dark turn and is all the better for it.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

Filmed in Baton Rouge and based on the stories of Joe Lansdale, Hap and Leonard is a great swampy noir thriller of a show that’s based on the relationship of two friends and the sometimes violent scrapes they get into. James Purefoy and Michael K Williams are superb as the pair, one a Vietnam vet, the other a draft dodger. Set in the 80s, the show is similar to Cold In July, the movie from the same writer and is only six episodes long, so perfect for a binge watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 2

Stephen King has had a rocky journey to the big and small screen. For every adaptation that works (Misery, Shawshank Redemption), there’s a dozen that don’t (The Langoliers, Under The Dome TV show). Haven is a strange one - it’s a show that started as an adaptation of a Stephen King short story, The Colorado Kid, and has mutated into a love letter to King and his stories. Over the course of five seasons, the show has becomes a great watch - especially if you are a King fan and can spot the many references.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 5

Hell on Wheels sounds like it should be a Sons of Anarchy rival, about motorcycle gangs or the like. But it’s actually centred on the construction of the US’s First Transcontinental Railroad. The first season begins soon after the assassination of President Lincoln and from there the show plays out like a western, showing myriad sides of the railway being built - from slaves to their owners, to the money me behind the scheme. It’s a show that’s been a massive hit for AMC - falling just behind The Walking Dead in their ratings for original shows.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 5

Recently graduating from Amazon Originals pilot to fully fledged TV show, I Love Dick is a great subversive watch. The show stars Kevin Bacon and is based on the celebrated book that looks at a married couple who are having marriage issues and their relationship with college professor, Dick. Bacon is on top form as the charismatic Dick and the show's multiple POV storytelling (Rashomon style) works well.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video TV: 1

Into The Badlands is a heady mix of brilliant martial arts and high drama as trained fighter Sunny (Daniel Wu) takes a group of people on a twisted road trip through the mystical badlands. This may only be a six-part mini series but there's plenty of bite in each of those episodes. And it also contains some of the best fighting seen on television.

The second season stars the UK's very own Nick Frost as Sunny's unlikely new ally.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

F Scott Fitzgerald may be known for The Great Gatsby and Tender Is The Night but The Last Tycoon - his last and unfinished novel - is perhaps his most ambitious piece of work. It peels away the glitz and glamour of Hollywood in the '30s to show a time when backstabbing was the norm, fascism was on the rise and everyone had an unbelievable amount of money. Kelsey Grammer is superb as movie mogul Pat Brady, while Matt Bomer is also great as Monroe Stahr, the up and coming film exec who wants to make it big. The Last Tycoon is occasionally flawed but it's a sumptuous watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

Not many people can find the funny in the post-apocalypse, but Will Forte has managed it with The Last Man On Earth. He writes and stars in this comedy where he is the only survivor on earth after a virus kills everyone else. The cast is brilliant, with the likes of January Jones and Kristen Wiig join him on his adventures and there’s a smattering of decent cameos to - including Will Ferrell and Jon Hamm in season 3. Unfortunately, Amazon Prime Video only has the first two seasons, so you’ll have to hold your breath for Mad Men’s Hamm to come aboard.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 2

Created by Jeff and Jackie Schaffer and starring Mark Duplass, The League is very much a US focused comedy - based around a group of friends in an American Fantasy Football league - but don’t let that put you off as it’s nearly always hilarious. The lengths the group go to to win The Shiva - the league trophy - is great to watch, as is there balancing of trying to win week in week out with their normal lives. All seven seasons of the show are available on Prime Video.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 7

Like watching fictional posh people live their lives in early-twentieth century opulence? You're not alone – millions of people tuned in to Downton Abbey during its TV run, and it's now available to stream in its entirety on Amazon Prime Video.

Following the trials and tribulations of the Crawley family on the titular Downton Abbey estate, it's a kitchen sink drama of sorts – except all the cutlery is made of silver, and it's an army of servants doing the washing up.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 7

A new series from Gilmore Girls creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel tells the story of 1950s Jewish housewife Miriam Maisel. After her husband confesses he's been having an affair, Midge drunkenly gets on stage at a comedy club and discovers that she's utterly hilarious. In a time when women aren't encouraged to be publicly funny, Midge pursues her new-found comedic talent in the male-dominated stand up comedy world.

Season one is on Amazon now, but a second has already been ordered.

Seasons to watch on Amazon Prime: 1

It was an agonising wait for Mr Robot in the UK - the first season had all-but ended in the US before we even got a sniff of it. But its popularity meant that there was something of a bidding war to see who would show it in the UK. Amazon, Netflix and other more traditional broadcasters fought for it, proving that even bean counters can see the worth in counter culture.

Amazon won in the end and is the perfect place for a show that focuses on the exploits of hacker Elliot (a superb Rami Malek). Mr Robot is Fight Club for the Tor generation, lifting a lid on a world where what Linux kernel you use is not just a badge of honour but a way of life.

Now in its third season, Mr Robot is proving to be one of the most addictive things on television right now.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 2

The UK version of Mad Dogs was a breath of fresh air when it first aired. Well, the first season was then it all went a little too strange. This remake - green-lit from Amazon's burgeoning Originals series - takes the best from the UK version and mixes it with a plot that's a little easier to follow and humour that's more laugh out loud than pitch black.

The premise is the same: a bunch of mates go and visit one friend at his luxury villa to celebrate his early retirement, only for murder, mayhem and mind-boggling plot developments to ensue. A touch of genius is the recasting of Ben Chaplin. While he played the rich, retiring Alvo in the UK version here he gets to try his luck in a bigger and better role.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

There have been a number of successful Amazon pilots that have made it to a full series but none have the epic potential that Man In The High Castle has. This Philip K Dick adaptation is finally available to stream - with all episodes ready for your consumption. High Castle imagines what the world would be like if Germany had won World War II and the Nazis had taken global control. Turns out it's a bit worse than us all driving around in VW Beetles and wearing Hugo Boss coats.

Season 2 is now available and expands on the mythos. Given this is a cautionary tale about what could happen when the hard right takes over America, things suddenly don't feel too far fetched.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 2

Yes, Masters Of Sex could have ended up being a Mad Men rip-off when it first arrived in 2013 but thanks to the brilliance of Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan the show soon elevated above being a copycat.

Sheen is Dr William Masters, a fertility expert who turns his hand to researching the world of sex. Turns out researching sex means having a lot of it, which would all be rather gratuitous if it wasn't wrapped in some of the most intelligent script work around.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

Now into its third series, Mozart in the Jungle was this surprise winner at the 2015 Golden Globes, where it won Best Comedy Series. The show is a comedy set in the strange world of classical music. Gael García Bernal plays young conductor Rodrigo who replaces a retiring conductor played by Malcolm McDowell. Based loosely on a true story and created by the likes of Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola, it's well worth a watch.

Season 3 brings with it the fantastic Monica Bellucci as an opera singer who teams up with Bernal.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3

The Night Manager is a superb series, based on the book of the same name by John le Carré. Directed by Susanne Bier - who should shift into the James Bond franchise on the merits of the show - the series is a complex tale of gun running and an apparently innocent hotel night manager (Tom Hiddleston) getting mixed up in proceedings. Hugh Laurie is all stiff upper lipped and sinister as the main antagonist Richard Roper - which makes for a frankly British hoo-ha thats not to be missed.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 1

Game of Thrones with kilts and time travel, Outlander was a solid show in its first season - by the second it was a great one. Based on the eight-book series by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander is about Claire Randall, a nurse who is transported from 1945 to 1743, where she meets a Scottish outlaw and a simmering romance ensues. Given it’s shot in the Scottish highlands, the show looks fantastic, is well acted and should be your next binge watch.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 2

Aaron Paul is back on TV, thanks to The Path. And while his role might not be as enticing as Jesse in Breaking Bad, The Path is decent enough. Revolving around the Meyerist movement, an 'it's not a cult / it's definitely a cult' cult, the show is a gripping and beautifully shot look at what happens when people truly believe.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

Parks and Rec is a joy of a show. Originally seen as a quasi spin-off of the Office - using the same documentary style camerawork, awkward pauses, asides to camera - it soon grew from an amusing first season, about the goings on in the parks department of Pawnee, to a comedy phenomenon that spanned a fantastic seven seasons. It's not just the script that makes it great, it's also the characters - headed up by the ever-brilliant Amy Poehler.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 7

Amazon of a Preacher, man! Preacher is the next big comic-book adaptation and my god it's good. It takes the deranged feel of the graphic novels and translates it well to the small screen. Dominic Cooper is great as small-town preacher Jesse Custer who, inhabited by a strange spirit, starts to do God's work in a small America town with his ex girlfriend (A brilliant Ruth Negga) and an Irish vampire, played by Misfits' Joe Gilgun as his cohorts.

The whole first season of Preacher is available on Amazon Prime and episodes of the second season are available weekly.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2 (new episodes every Tuesday)

The '80s is the en vogue decade when it comes to nostalgia. Not only are Seth Gordon and Adam Goldberg mining the era for their superb prime-time sitcom The Goldbergs, Red Oaks has appeared to prove that it is respectable to set shows in the '80s. Amazon-exclusive Red Oaks - made by another Green, this time David Gordon - focuses on David, a tennis player at the Red Oaks country club and his summer shenanigans. Great casting - Jennifer Grey! - some brilliant nods to '80s films, a short run time means this is a series you can eat up in one neon-fuelled sitting.

The third and final season is now available to stream in its entirety on Amazon Prime and is a fitting end to one of the best shows around at the moment.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3

For a show that’s steeped in murder, it’s pleasing to note that we all have Amazon to thank for breathing new life into Ripper Street. After two series of the show, which focuses on the lives of the East End of London in the 19th Century where there is a copycat Jack the Ripper on the loose, it was cancelled by the BBC. Amazon decided there was enough fan love out there, thankfully, and revived the show for three more series. Great acting masks some of the hokier moments of the script but this is all good, grizzly fun.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 5

Now in its fourth season, Rogue has matured into a great crime drama. While it may not be the Sopranos in its scope, it has a realness to it that makes the violence that's shown on the screen hit home hard. Thandie Newton stars a Grace Travis, an undercover detective who is trying to balance being a wife and mother with the illicit affair of a crime boss. Gritty stuff.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 3

Seinfeld is comedy gold. It’s the sitcom that was self reflexive and knowing. It was about Jerry Seinfeld who was played by Jerry Seinfeld but was playing a version of himself. It’s a similar trick Larry David used when spinning off his character for the show Curb Your Enthusiasm. He even took it a step further to make a whole season of Curb dedicated to bringing back Seinfeld. Over nine seasons this show, which is essentially about nothing, will captivate you, make you laugh and think. It’s fantastic.

Seasons on Amazon Prime Video: 9

Sneaky Pete's plot maybe a little cliche - a con man assumes the identity of someone else to try and make a new break in the world - but Giovanni Ribisi is superb as Marius, the titular character and there's plenty of intrigue to keep you glued to this new Amazon Original.

Interestingly, the show is co-created by Bryan Cranston which makes him the streaming king, given he's done so well with Breaking Bad on Netflix. Don't expect Sneaky Pete to be as intense as Breaking Bad - it's a crime caper, yes, but it doesn't take itself too seriously.

Seemingly always vying for the top spot of Best Recently Finished Drama (we may have made up that award) with Breaking Bad, Sons Of Anarchy is a long brooding menace of a show that deserves your attention. Centred on a motorcycle gang that live by their own rules (you can probably guess what their name is from the title) the show is positively Shakespearean in its storytelling and will have you gripped from episode one.

While Ron Perlman steals the show as Clay, Charlie Hunnam's Jax is one of the best tortured souls you will see on any television show. All seven seasons of the show are now streaming on the service.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 7

Not content with becoming a Hobbit, starring in the Marvel universe or playing Dr Holmes, Martin Freeman goes back to his TV roots for Startup - a great look at what happens when a bunch of tech entrepreneurs create something that is much bigger than they ever thought it would be. It may occasionally be too gritty for its own good, but it's great to see Freeman hamming it up as the big bad.

The second season of Startup has started up on Amazon Prime and it feels even more prescient, as it continues the story of those behind the unregulated cryptocurrency and the trouble this brings. The superb Ron Perlman stars.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

Anything featuring spies is going to get a watch from us but instead of overcoats and a 1940’s setting, Turn: Washington’s Spies is about a team of secret agents who helped George Washington in his fight for American Independence. The cast is stellar, including Jamie Bell, but it’s the setting that’s key here. Seeing the US in the 1700s and the on-going fight with the British is great fun.

Season on Amazon Prime Video: 3

Two seasons of UnREAL have landed on Amazon Prime and you will be pleased to hear that a third season has been commissioned. UnREAL focuses on the fictional goings-on behind the scenes of a fictional reality show. It's a show that holds a broken mirror up to the vacuous and plentiful reality shows that litter TV channels at the moment and actually goes into some rather dark territory. Yes, it's melodramatic and will wave numerous moral flags at you while you are watching it, but it's nonetheless engrossing television.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

Anything Netflix can do, Amazon Prime can do better it seems, especially when it comes to winning a Golden Globe. Netflix may have made history by being the first streaming service to win a Golden Globe, courtesy of the acting talents of Kevin Spacey in House of Cards, but Amazon went and topped this by winning the Best TV Show prize in 2014 for Transparent.

It was much deserved. Transparent is everything you want in a TV show. It's heartwarming, funny and packs a real punch about a subject that doesn't get enough attention: transgenderism. Jeffrey Tambor's Maura Pfefferman is a television character we hope will be around for a long time.

The fourth season will be available to stream from 22 September.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 3

If you have any interest in Norse mythology then the name Ragnar Lothbrok will mean a whole lot to you. Basically he was a king and powerful ruler that was a right git to the English and the French.

Vikings is a series that traces his Norse-based goings on with enough charm and scope to take on Game of Thrones in the sword and sandals stakes. Yes it takes a number of liberties with its source material but the acting is top class, as is the cinematography in a historical romp that's now deservedly in its fourth season - the second half of which is now available.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 4

The Walking Dead has been reanimated more times than the zombies that harruange the group of survivors we have all come to know and love. Initially created with Frank Darabont at the helm, he left after the first season then his replacement was eventually replaced and their replacement replaced.

With this in mind, it's amazing that not only has the show consistently managed to improve season after season it has become one of the most successful series ever. Yes it sometimes slumps along slower than a zombie with its legs hacked off but give it time and it will reward you with more drama than you can shake a bloody stump at.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 6

The X-Files was one of the first shows that embraced event TV. Yes, it had many 'monster of the week' storylines but creator Chris Carter managed to produce a nine-season long mythology arc that kept viewers coming back for more. That and the brilliant casting of David Duchovny as Fox Mulder and the ever-excellent Gillian Anderson and Dana Scully. With a new 10th season on the horizon, Amazon has put all nine previous seasons on to Prime - all remastered in wide screen. Lovely stuff.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 9

Looking for a new crime drama to get stuck into? Animal Kingdom could be what you're looking for. The show follows teenager J Cody who moves in with extended relatives in Southern California after the death of his mother. Far from being boring, Cody finds his relatives live a wild life of excess and it's all funded by crime.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 2

Comrade Detective is a weird gem on Amazon. Starring Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the show is a parody of gritty American buddy cop shows and Communist Propaganda from the Cold War.

It's an unusual combination, but it works. Each episode is presented as though it's a remastered real episode of a lost Romanian Communist Propaganda series from the 80s which was used to entertain and promote Communist ideals. The entire show was filmed in Romania with Romanian actors and then dubbed over by Tatum and Gordon-Levitt.

Seasons on Amazon Prime: 1

Jean-Claude Van Johnson

Out TBC

Jean-Claude Van Damme already sent himself up brilliantly in the movie JCVD - this show goes off on its own riff, though. Van Damme plays, well, Van Damme. An actor cum spy. In the pilot, he comes out of retirement in pursuit of an ex girlfriend. The show is packed with references on JCVD's movies and is genuinely funny.

Oasis

Out TBC

The works of Michel Faber nearly always translate well to the big and small screen. The The Crimson Petal and the White was given a great mini series adaptation by the Beeb in 2001. And Under The Skin is one of the most inventive films ever made. Another one of his works, The Book of Strange Things, has been given the Amazon Originals Pilot treatment. Called Oasis, the show is a twisty opaque look at a priest who is living in a human colony on another planet. Richard Madden, last seen in Game of Thrones, stars.

]]>EE is giving away reward cards worth up to £125 with all broadband deals for two weeks onlyhttp://www.techradar.com/news/ee-is-giving-away-reward-cards-worth-up-to-125-with-all-broadband-deals-for-two-weeks-only
http://www.techradar.com/news/ee-is-giving-away-reward-cards-worth-up-to-125-with-all-broadband-deals-for-two-weeks-onlyEE broadband deals just got very competitive thanks to its new reward card promotion.Fri, 08 Dec 2017 16:57:14 +0000techradar.comAlthough EE is more famous for its mobile phone tariffs, the brand is becoming a growing force as an internet provider. That's thanks to the fact that it tends to offer such competitive pricing on its broadband deals.

And now it's throwing in a little something extra. If you sign up for EE broadband by Wednesday December 21, you'll also receive a big fat reward card - call it an early Christmas present! Sign up for EE's standard internet package for £21.50 per month and you'll receive a £50 pre-paid Mastercard that you can spend online and in shops.

Need to crank things up to unlimited super fast fibre-optic? Then the monthly fee goes up to £29 per month for 38Mb but the reward card also heads north to £75. And if you pull out all the stops and go for the provider's most premium plan - EE Unlimited Fibre Max broadband - you get lightning quick 76Mb internet, unlimited UK anytime calls and a £125 reward card for £45 per month.

There's more information about all four featured EE broadband deals below and scroll down further for more information about those all-important reward cards. And if you happen to have your phone on EE as well, then don't forget that you get 5GB of extra data allowance every month if you get EE broadband too.

Broadband deal of the week: EE internet + reward cards

How to claim your pre-paid Mastercard

Well this is a treat. The pre-paid Mastercards are the sweeteners that turns these very good EE offers into brilliant ones.

It can be used wherever Mastercard is accepted, except for the odd purchase such as gambling, currency, paying of credit cards and, alas, illegal goods and services! Once you’ve made your first bill payment, EE will send you an email with instructions on how to claim your reward card. And make sure that you splash your cash within 12 months, otherwise it will expire.

Existing EE broadband customers

If you're a current EE customer, unfortunately this offer doesn't apply to you. Similarly, you're not permitted to claim this price of the Mastercard if you've had EE before. This offer is only for customers that are new to the provider - sorry!

Best broadband deals

With TechRadar's price comparison tool you can compare and contrast all of the best internet deals available on the market right now. Head to our best broadband deals page, pop in your postcode, filter your requirements and we'll spit out the best deals on the market specifically for you.

]]>5 things you didn’t know about Usenethttp://www.techradar.com/news/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-usenet
http://www.techradar.com/news/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-usenetMeet the granddaddy of file-sharing – the one that kick-started everything.Fri, 08 Dec 2017 16:00:22 +0000techradar.comIf you’ve ever watched a live stream, downloaded through P2P file-sharing, connected to Tor, posted or responded to a discussion on a bulletin board, or got in a heated Reddit thread, then Usenet is for you.

To those under 25, chances are you’ve never even heard of Usenet, but to the classic computer nerds of yore, Usenet’s the O.G. social network. In the most basic sense, Usenet is a cross between a discussion forum and the ultimate file-sharing platform, but it’s still something else entirely.

Because Usenet is shrouded in secrecy, there’s an unwritten community rule very similar to Fight Club. The first rule of Usenet is: you do not talk about Usenet. That’s because Usenet is not as defunct as users want you to believe. In this article, we are taking an at-a-glance look at Usenet to see just what goods the community is keeping tightly under wraps.

1. Usenet newsgroups predate the web

Before you accessed websites on the internet through a web browser, there was Usenet. It was an era when computing required the command line, and a computer weighed as much as a human being.

The alt.hypertext Usenet newsgroup is where Sir Tim Berners-Lee – then a humble contractor for one of the largest nuclear research labs in the world – first detailed his idea for what we know today as the “www” in a URL string; for example <https://www.techradar.com/>.

His initial internet project, appropriately called WorldWideWeb, aimed to help employees at the European Organization for Nuclear Research share data with one another instantly.

On August 6, 1991, at 14:56 GMT, he wrote:

“The WorldWideWeb (WWW) project aims to allow links to be made to any information anywhere. The address format includes an access method (=namespace), and for most name spaces a hostname and some sort of path…”

2. Usenet was originally made for academia

The Usenet landscape is like your old hometown: it's familiar, but it looks nothing like it used to. While audio and video content has given new lifeblood to Usenet, it might be a surprise to learn that it was first built for university students, in text-only form.

In 1979, two graduate students at Duke University built the Usenet platform as a means to exchange messages and files through a network with colleagues at UNC-Chapel Hill. Then, similarly to The Social Network, Usenet spread through college campuses.

In 1993, AOL (remember AOL!?) began to offer Usenet access to its customers. The influx of AOL users became a majority, while academic users shrunk to a minority, and thus the culture was changed forever.

3. Usenet is home to many web culture references

Many of the terms we use online and occasionally 'IRL' were first popularized in Usenet newsgroups. How many of these are you guilty of using?

Spam: Before the 90s, Spam was just a canned meat and a Monty Python reference. But today, it's the colloquial word for junk email advertising (and potentially still, physical junk mail advertising). The idea of Spam was first introduced en masse on Usenet in 1994 by the law firm Canter & Siegel. The firm posted in all of the Usenet newsgroups (a much more realistic feat in 1994) for its legal services relating to the green card lottery. The message: "Green Card Lottery – Final one?" A new kind of advertising had been born.

FAQ: A website and message board staple, the 'Frequently Asked Questions' acronym was introduced by NASA and adopted by Usenet newsgroups early on. The premise back then was similar to what it is now, only FAQs had to be reposted frequently to avoid getting buried in discussions. Not like Reddit or 4chan where FAQs can have static, ‘stickied’ posts. Over time, ‘.answers’ newsgroups like tv.answers, misc.answers, and sci.answers were added to collect the FAQs for cross-posting and easy access.

Emoticon: Your ability to substitute a bum for a peach can be traced back to Usenet. No, really. Before we had emojis, we called them ‘smileys’ and ‘emoticons’. The basic combinations for happy and sad – :-) and :-( – were invented in 1982 by Scott Fahlman from Carnegie Mellon University. He and fellow computer scientists chatted a lot through Usenet newsgroups, and they needed a way to differentiate jokes and sarcasm. We'd say it worked, so the smiley can be considered a ‘discovery’ by computer scientists :-).

ROFL: A cousin of LOL, ROFL (‘Rolling On the Floor Laughing’) and its many forms have early roots in Usenet. The expression ROFL (without the T for "the") was first used in a 1989 Usenet post to rec.ham-radio, and ROFLOL was used in a post to the group alt.rock-n-roll in 1992. Today, it often precedes LMAO.

WTF: An incredibly popular acronym among teens and adults alike, WTF can be traced back to Usenet as well. Its first recorded instance was in the net.micro.mac titled ‘Ramblings’ on May 18, 1985. While the use of WTF rapidly grew, it’s always maintained a sense of ambiguity. Additional takes on WTF, in which the ‘w’ can stand for ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘where’, and ‘who’ have been in use since the mid-to-late 80s.

4. Usenet was text-only until the late 90s

Technically Usenet is still plaintext-only (we’ll discuss that shortly) but it wasn’t until after 1997 that binary content was transferred through the platform. As any file attachment limit can attest to, image, video, and audio files take up space. Binary data files, often called ‘binaries’ in the Usenet community, comprise that same space-taking content. That is, binary data is anything that is non-text. So, how does one put non-text files on a text-only platform? With some translating.

Encoders translate binary files to text-only code for easy sharing in, let’s say, the alt.binaries.boneless newsgroup. Then the person who wants to view the binary must convert the encoded text back to its natural form. The technology behind the encoding has improved over the years to make it more user-friendly, but the overall process is much the same.

5. Despite ‘vintage’ packaging, Usenet is here to stay

While much of the framework is hidden beneath a metaphorical layer of dust, Usenet is still thriving. The platform is reliable, safe, and easily integrates with third-parties; that allows it to withstand the tests of time. That’s because of the way files are shared and stored. Unlike other P2P file-sharing methods, binary files on Usenet are broken into multiple components before they’re sent to a decentralized network.

Most importantly, Usenet is actually a safer way to access video content than sketchy live stream sites, torrents, and the like. Unlike these other services, premium Usenet services will provide you with free SSL encryption which is essentially the same thing as OpenVPN, except you don’t have to download any software or connect to a client like you would with a traditional VPN service.

Just because Usenet was originally made for command line folks doesn’t mean the easy click-and-drag search style is unwelcome. If the look and feel of Usenet is over your head, that’s okay, too. Nowadays, Usenet providers offer all-in-one software that allows you to search, preview, filter, and download content the way you naturally would on the web.

If you’ve ever been the type to scroll through WinMX, Limewire, torrents, and the dark web, it may be time to give Usenet a shot. Sure, it’s a little clunky at first, and it’s not very beautiful to look at, but to some people, that’s just part of its charm.